Remember Sesame Street? You learnt your 123s and your ABCs along with your Zees (hopefully someone was there to inform you of the correct pronunciation). Well just when you thought you had outgrown that show… Avenue Q is the West End musical that will get you excited over puppets all over again!

The educational content almost outweighs the explicit, taking an innovative slant on issues such as racism, pornography and homosexuality; and even providing some sound economic advice: the economy is unstable; the only safe investment is in porn. But don’t worry learning is made easy and fun with songs such as “What Do You Do with a B.A. in English?” and “It Sucks To Be Me”. The general Avenue Q approach is to shout about issues we normally whisper with the aim of making us laugh at ourselves and more importantly, at each other.

The puppets are controlled by multi-talented actors who multi-task: singing, acting, and puppeteering all at once, professionally and with indefatigable energy.

After the show I caught up with the wonderful Simon Lipkin who plays Trekkie and Nicky.

King’s Bench: Were you sure that you wanted to act above all other things when you first decided to pursue a career in acting?

Simon Lipkin: Yes, absolutely. I was never good at anything else [he lies!! We went to the same posh school.] I would always spend time in the theatre, or at concerts.

KB: Do you miss not having experienced the uni life at all?

SL: Well, I grew up quickly. I went to the Sylvia Young School where I did academic work two days a week and would spend the other three days doing voice-overs and acting. I suppose when I gained a scholarship to a performing arts college at sixteen I had a similar experience but I have never been particularly interested in the uni scene.

KB: Avenue Q script approaches certain controversial issues with sensitivity but when the show first opened did you fear criticism?

SL: The song ‘Everyone’s a Little Bit Racist’, for example, is not meant as an insult to cultural diversity; it is not about the superiority of blacks or whites. We just nudge against issues that may be on people’s minds. It is all for comic value, which is why we poke fun at a diversity of races and no race is singled out.

KB: What has driven your success? The idea of fame or a love of acting?

SL: Absolutely not fame in the slightest – fame scares me and the small amount of fame I get from doing the show scares me. I do it because I love what I do and the absolute buzz from making an audience laugh or cry, which is a little bit wanky, I know….

KB: What has been your most embarrassing moment on stage?

SL: I have had several. Once my trousers fell down while I was playing in Joseph. It was a quick change and ran across the stage which is when it happened but I got a cheer from the audience. At least it is nice to know that you’re appreciated. I also wore a nappy on-stage once which was quite embarrassing and got caught in a deck chair. I am quite clumsy in general.

KB: Is there anyone you have felt uncomfortable performing in front of when doing Avenue Q?

SL: My grandmother – she’s lived through a war but she wasn’t ready for that.