Porchlight Players present Avenue Q

If you’re looking for a special night out, be it a girls’ night or a date night, check out the Porchlight Players dinner theater featuring the Tony award-winning production, “Avenue Q – The Musical.” The Porchlight Players Community Theater Co. is once again doing a dinner theater spanning two weekends in February at the Brush Creek Pavilion in Eagle Ranch.

“Porchlight Players previously performed ‘Avenue Q’ to a sold-out audience in 2018. It’s a wonderfully fun show, having earned the Tony ‘Triple Crown’ of Best Musical, Best Score and Best Script. Several members of that cast have returned, some in different roles,” said Shiloh Liska who is part of the ensemble cast and the role of Newcomer. 

“Avenue Q” is the story of a group of neighbors living in a cheap apartment building in New York City. They navigate major events like graduating college, getting married, coming out of the closet and finding one’s purpose in life.

“Everyone can find something to relate to in every character — whether you’re trying to find love like Kate Monster, dealing with unemployment like Brian, or fighting with your roommate like Nicky, every situation is something you and your friends have been through yourselves,” Liska said.

If you aren’t familiar with “Avenue Q,” it is not your normal theatrical show because of the use of puppets.

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“Sesame Street for adults is the usual description,” said Lance Schober who plays Princeton. “It’s one more element for the actors to tell a story through a different type of medium. Some might find the humor a little risqué, but since it’s puppets, you find yourself being a little more forgiving and we can get away with a darker side of humor. Learning to work the puppets is challenging, as the puppet and the puppeteer need to move and speak in tandem.”

Porchlight Players was founded in 2004 by Ann Olin, and its purpose is to bring live, local theater to downvalley communities.  

“This is our 16th dinner theater production. Prior shows include hit musicals such as ‘Spamalot,’ ‘Young Frankenstein,’ ‘Catch Me If You Can,’ ‘The Full Monty,’ and ‘Dirty Rotten Scoundrels’ to name a few,” Olin said. “Our events are like a big party, where people get to socialize, eat and drink together and enjoy quality theater in their own community.”

Although the dinner theater provides a lot of fun and memories for attendees, a lot of work goes into the production. The Brush Creek Pavilion is converted into a theater over the course of three days, setting up the stage, sound, lights, sets, props, dining room, bar and kitchen. This year, Red Canyon Catering is providing the dinner, Eagle River Brewing is sponsoring the beer selections and Mountain Beverage is providing the wine.  

“It’s really surprising how many people are involved in this production. There are 11 cast members in ‘Avenue Q,’ plus three crew members and our producer and director, Ann Olin. In addition, we need about 25 volunteers to help in the kitchen and the bar over the six shows, so we’re looking at a total of about 40 people needed for the entire run,” said Paul Witt, who plays the part of Nicky. “The great thing is we have people joining us from Vail to Gypsum to work on the show, and this year we even have a new cast member who lives in Glenwood Springs.”

“We are so grateful for the funding we receive from our sponsors, Alpine Bank, Town of Eagle and the N.M. Morris Family Foundation,” Olin said. “Without the support of our local sponsors, we could not produce our shows. We welcome new sponsors and we are happy to provide sponsorship information to any individual or business interested in supporting our organization.”

“We have sold out every show for the last ten years. We have lots of repeat attendees from previous shows because it’s such a fun evening out with friends or dates — one of our shows is on Valentine’s Day,” Witt said. “It’s only $90 for dinner, dessert, three drinks and the show; once people realize what a great deal it is, they keep coming back. We’re down to our last hundred or so tickets, so people need to jump on them!”

For more information, go to porchlightplayers.com. Performances take place Feb. 13-15 and Feb. 19-21. On the website you will select your dinner entrée: Big Apple pork chop, Brooklyn cod, or Little Italy ratatouille. Tickets go off sale one week before each weekend’s first night so the caterer can plan accordingly.