Sunday, July 14, 2013

Avenue Q

some residents of Avenue Q
Mazeppa Productions, located in Christ Church Neighborhood House Theatre on 20 N. American St, Philadelphia, Pa is presenting   Avenue Q through July 27. You might miss the theatre’s location, as I did, the first go round as it is located off 2nd Street between Market and Arch, but it is well worth driving around the block to find it. I expected to be shocked by the language of the show (I was not) . I expected to be amused. (I laughed …A LOT) What I did not expect was the talent in the cast of this fledgling theater company.  Mazeppa Productions has only been in existence since 2011 and was founded with the express goal of bringing exciting works of musical theater to Philadelphia.  While all of the cast members of Avenue Q have some on-stage experience, many of them are still students or very recent graduates with degrees in musical theater.  The aggregate talent of these young performers is astounding. Kudos to Mazeppa Productions founders Rob Henry and Brian Seaman for providing a venue for such talent to be heard and to blossom. The cast not only works well with puppets. Prop Designer Annie Heath’s talking boxes were also a huge hit with the entire audience.  Erin McCourt must also be acknowledged for designing such a perfect set.  The season continues with cabaret-style performances and a two-day Rapunzel event.  I hope that as this theater company matures they will be able to add more full length productions to the schedule. This will not only provide further experience to the cast members resumes, but bring additional enjoyment to Philadelphia musical theater lovers as well. For further information or tickets, call 265-559-9602 or visit online at www.mazeppaproductions.org