Avenue Q Ends Its 16-Year Run On and Off-Broadway Tonight

After 16 years on and off Broadway, Avenue Q will take its final bow at New World Stages tonight, May 26.

Produced by Kevin McCollum, Robyn Goodman, Jeffrey Seller, Vineyard Theatre, and the New Group, Avenue Q will have played a total of 6,569 performances upon closing, from its first Broadway preview on July 14, 2003, to its final performance at New World Stages tonight.

Written by Robert Lopez, Jeff Marx, and Jeff Whitty, Avenue Q opened off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre on March 20, 2003, before moving to Broadway's Golden Theatre, where it officially opened on July 31 of that year under the direction of Jason Moore. The show went on to win three 2004 Tony Awards: Best Book, Best Score, and Best Musical. The Broadway production closed on September 13, 2009, and reopened off-Broadway at New World Stages on October 21, 2009.

The current cast includes Katie Boren, Grace Choi, Matt Dengler, Jamie Glickman, Imari Hardon, Jason Jacoby, Nicholas Kohn, Veronica Kuehn, Lacretta, Michael Liscio Jr., and Jed Resnick.

Avenue Q is described as a "timeless story of a bright-eyed college grad named Princeton. When he arrives in the city with big dreams and a tiny bank account, he has to move into a shabby apartment all the way out on Avenue Q. Still, the neighbors seem nice. There, he meets Kate (the girl next door), Lucy (the slut), Rod (the Republican), Trekkie (the internet entrepreneur), superintendent Gary Coleman (yes, that Gary Coleman), and other new friends! Together, they struggle to find jobs, dates, and their ever-elusive purpose in life."