AVENUE Q Comes to Cecil College, 10/26-11/4

Although there are not any puppets on morning TV to teach life lessons to grown-ups, there will be plenty of them at the Milburn Stone Theatre on Cecil College's North East campus when "Avenue Q' is presented Oct. 26, 27 and 28, and Nov. 2, 3 and 4.

What do you do with a B.A. in English? What is the Internet really for? How do you deal with a gay roommate? The folks at the Milburn Stone Theatre started at Avenue A, but the much more affordable "Avenue Q" is here to explain all of this and more. Join fresh-faced recent college graduate Princeton, played by Matthew Dickenson, and the fellow inhabitants of "Avenue Q," including their landlord Gary Coleman – yes that Gary Coleman – played by Kashana Roberts, as they deal with all the things that stink about being an adult.

For this musical comedy, known for its use of puppets alongside human actors, director S. Lee Lewis has assembled a talented cast of performers/puppeteers. Joining Princeton on the stage, with puppets of their own, will be Serenity Rowland as kindergarten teaching assistant Kate Monster, Emily Jewett as both the vixenish vamp Lucy and the ancient Mrs. T, James Mikijanic as slacker Nicky, Tim Koob as investment banker Rod, Terrie Goins and Brandon Gorin as the snuggly Bad Idea Bears, Dane Hutchinson as the reclusive Trekkie Monster, and Kenyatta Carter, Emily Ciuffetelli and Amy Vitalo as the Puppet Ensemble.

In addition to Roberts as Gary Coleman, two other members of the cast will be sans puppets. Ryan Wagner will play laid-back Brian, while Kristin Sheehan will take on the role of his therapist wife, Christmas Eve. While Wagner's face may not be familiar to many patrons of the Milburn Stone Theatre, his voice should be very well known to baseball fans in the region. Selected from a field of more than 670 applicants, he recently completed his initial season as the public address announcer for the Baltimore Orioles who made their first postseason appearance in 15 years and advanced to the American League Division Series. The previous year, Wagner was a resident of Major League Baseball's Fan Cave in New York City.

Recommended for audiences 17 years of age and older, "Avenue Q" won the "triple crown" of Broadway's Tony Awards: Best Musical, Best Original Score, and Best Original Book. Written by Jeff Whitty, with music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, "Avenue Q" begins at 8 p.m. Oct. 26 and 27 and Nov. 2 and 3, and at 3 p.m. Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. Tickets, which are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors, $10 for children 12 and younger, and $5 for college students with a valid ID, can be purchased by phone at 410-287-1037, at the Milburn Stone Theatre box office, or online at www.milburnstone.org. The box office, located at One Seahawk Drive at Cecil College in North East, Md., is open from noon to 5 p.m. Monday to Friday.

More Articles by This Author...