★★★★★

“The razor-sharp lyrics are as funny as ever, helped by some smart tweaks”

Multi-Tony award winning ‘Avenue Q’, the lewd, rude and occasionally nude children’s TV parody, explodes back into the West End twenty years after its smash hit debut. Fully updated and featuring a sparkling new cast, you’ll fall in love with this crazy gang of misfits all over again.

Fresh-faced college grad Princeton hits New York ready for a new life – only to slam into reality on rundown Avenue Q. Though adulthood is full of stresses and curveballs, his quirky, lovable neighbours soon help him find home – if only for now.

Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx’s conception and Jeff Whitty’s book still land with wicked charm, satirising the beloved children’s show ‘Sesame Street’ with a keen blend of nostalgia and adult themes. Twenty years on, the mix of naive optimism and real world grit remains a winning contrast. Smart updates – from AI to OnlyFans – keep it current, while less adaptable elements – such as the ‘Mix Tape’ number – lean into self aware irony. Christmas Eve’s caricature may spark debate in 2026, but the show’s critique of lingering stereotypes still holds weight.

Lopez and Marx’s cult classic score, guided by Stephen Oremus and Benjamin Holder, skewer adulthood with biting wit. The razor-sharp lyrics are as funny as ever, helped by some smart tweaks. Musically, some expanded moments – including an unexpected drum break – give the show fresh energy.

Director Jason Moore, with associate Julie Atherton, nails an ebullient balance of cartoonish chaos and understated sincerity. Christmas Eve’s accent is wisely softened, and the flying screens add fresh opportunities for new gags. Puppet Coaches Iestyn Evans and Andy Heath achieve astonishing precision – the cast and puppets move so seamlessly, you forget which one you’re watching. It makes the collective penny drop horror even more outrageous.

Choreographer Ebony Molina, with associate Dale White, vibrantly channels children’s TV with a sharp adult edge. Puppet pole dancing proves unexpectedly irresistible, and the puppet human crossovers – like Nicky’s high kicking human legs in ‘If You Were Gay’ – are spot on.

Rick Lyon’s puppet design is full of brilliant comic details, from five o’clock shadows to full frontal surprises. Anna Louizos’ set zooms about seamlessly to create a host of locations, including a lush wedding garden. Jean Chan’s costumes bring the humans smartly into 2026 – including Brian’s shorts. Tim Lutkin’s lighting is gorgeous, especially the dream sequence, and LED strips make the window gags pop. Paul Groothuis’ sound is impeccably synced. Nina Dunn’s video work for Pixellux adds a modern edge with sly jokes of its own, though ‘Schadenfreude’ could use a touch more variety. Jackie Saundercock’s hair and makeup extend charmingly to the puppets, keeping them visually cohesive.

This cast absolutely tears through the show with precision, personality and top tier vocals across the board. Emily Benjamin shines as Kate Monster and Lucy, flipping from sweet to sultry with ease and impressive vocal range. Noah Harrison nails Princeton’s innocence and Rod’s repression, and is so engaging you forget to look at the puppets. Charlie McCullagh brings sweet sincerity as Nicky and pinpoint comic timing as Trekkie and Bad Idea Bear. Amelia Kinu Muus gives Christmas Eve a fresher, fiercer edge while keeping every ounce of bite. Oliver Jacobson brings goofy warmth to Brian, and Dionne Ward Anderson’s Gary is full of sharp, knowing humour.

You’ll happily give ‘Avenue Q’ all your money for a chance to see this razor sharp, wickedly insightful show. It was a smash before and this revival proves why – run and grab tickets while you can!

A SHERLOCK CAROL at the Marylebone Theatre

★★★★

“one of the cleverest and most entertaining of the current festive productions”

Sherlock Holmes was just thirty-seven years old when he was reported to have died in the Reichenbach Falls in 1891; having fallen to his death in a struggle with the criminal mastermind Moriarty. The sleuth reappeared three years later, however, to resume his detective business, but becomes filled with self-doubt and slips into semi-retirement. Meanwhile, not too many yards away from 221b Baker Street, Ebenezer Scrooge is enjoying his twilight years. Nearly fifty years on from his spirit induced epiphany one Christmas Eve, he remains a respected and admired member of society, frequently visited by his close friend and beneficiary, Dr Timothy Cratchit.

It is no surprise then, that these individuals’ paths should cross as the nineteenth century is drawing to its close. There is no historical evidence to the contrary, so the events that occur in Mark Shanahan’s ingeniously clever and witty play, “A Sherlock Carol”, are entirely plausible. If a little bonkers. After all, when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Okay, the sceptical among you will be clamouring to remind me that these are fictional people, but I say ‘Humbug’ to that – let’s suspend our disbelief.

It seems that ‘A Christmas Carol’ is everywhere, so this is a perfect antidote to relieve the bloated overindulgence of Dickens at this time of year. A glorious mash up, it is recognisable as both ‘A Christmas Carol’, and as ‘Sherlock Holmes’, but the crossover is so tightly packed that characters and characteristics are well and truly mixed up. The styles as untangleable as last year’s decorations brought down from the loft.

“The cast can barely keep the smile from their faces, yet each and every one is a master at characterisation”

Holmes (Ben Caplan) is a haunted, cantankerous scrooge, insulting carol singers and bleating misanthropically at all the merry makers on Christmas Eve. He rudely shuns Watson’s (Richard James) invitation to join him for Christmas lunch. Enjoying (or rather not particularly enjoying) a melancholy drink in a melancholy tavern his solitude is interrupted by Doctor Timothy Cratchit (Devesh Kishore) who implores him, unsuccessfully, to investigate the mysterious death of Scrooge (Kammy Darweish). Holmes famously doesn’t believe in ghosts, but is nevertheless visited by a spectral Scrooge in the form of the ghost of Christmas past, present and future rolled into one. Reinvigorated he then decides to take on Cratchit’s case. A case that involves a precious blue diamond, a misplaced goose, poisoned candles, a recalcitrant maid, a bumbling Inspector Lestrade, a young Fezziwig and quite a few elementaries. Don’t ask me! Go and figure it out for yourself. You certainly won’t regret it.

The cast can barely keep the smile from their faces, yet each and every one is a master at characterisation, many of them grappling with multiple personas. Virtuosity and comedy are as intertwined as the plotlines. There is a Victorian music hall quality to it all, with the story telling and the performances taking centre stage with no reliance on modern trickery or high budget effects. Yet at the same time there is a timeless and modern quality to the presentation that appeals to all. Fans of Arthur Conan Doyle and of Charles Dickens will love it. So will newcomers. And non-fans. That covers all, I think.

At one point Watson laments the fact that Sherlock is ‘not the man I thought he was’. He hits the nail on the head. Except that this is nothing to lament, but to celebrate instead. “A Sherlock Carol” is certainly not the Sherlock you’d think it to be. Nor the Christmas Carol. But it is one of the cleverest and most entertaining of the current festive productions. You don’t need a detective’s skills to discover that. Just the ability to find Baker Street on Google Maps. And enjoy it. ‘Come, the game is afoot!’.

Tag Archives: Anna Louizos

AVENUE Q

★★★★★

Shaftesbury Theatre

AVENUE Q

Shaftesbury Theatre

★★★★★

“The razor-sharp lyrics are as funny as ever, helped by some smart tweaks”

AVENUE Q

Shaftesbury Theatre

Reviewed on 16th April 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Matt Crockett

AVENUE Q

AVENUE Q

AVENUE Q

A Sherlock Carol

★★★★

Marylebone Theatre

A SHERLOCK CAROL at the Marylebone Theatre

★★★★

“one of the cleverest and most entertaining of the current festive productions”

“The cast can barely keep the smile from their faces, yet each and every one is a master at characterisation”