Mickey-Jo met the AVENUE Q puppets! | INTERVIEW with Emily Benjamin, Charlie McCullagh, and Noah Harrison

Summary

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Podcast Summary: Mickey-Jo met the AVENUE Q puppets!

INTERVIEW with Emily Benjamin, Charlie McCullagh, and Noah Harrison

MickeyJoTheatre, May 25, 2026

Episode Overview

In this lively episode, host Mickey Jo heads to London’s Shaftesbury Theatre to celebrate the West End return of the hit musical Avenue Q. He sits down with cast members Emily Benjamin (Trekkie Monster), Charlie McCullagh, and Noah Harrison, joined by puppet guests Lucy, Rod, and Trekkie Monster. Together they delve into the unique challenges of puppeteering, the personal and professional journeys that led them to Avenue Q, and the lessons this irreverent, heartfelt show still offers modern audiences.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Initial Reactions and Getting Cast

• The whole cast reacts with excitement (and a dash of panic) at hearing Avenue Q was being revived.
• Charlie: "I, like, the rest of the West End, text my agent being like, get me in." (03:15)
• Mickey Jo: "It’s the only show I’ve ever messaged my agent and said, ‘I think I should be in for this.’… I saw this announcement and I was like, ‘I’m alive again!’" (03:25)
• Emily expresses initial doubt about being cast, thinking she might only watch—but then quickly became emotionally invested during auditions. (03:45)

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2. Avenue Q’s Unique Audition and Rehearsal Process

• Workshop Auditions: Cast members—whether auditioning for puppet or human roles—were thrust into a 3-hour puppetry workshop.
• Charlie: Recounts the physical toll: "I came out with horrific arm cramp. I had to ice my arm… I didn’t know how to do it properly." (05:16)
• Emily: Describes the challenge of auditioning without a script due to the need for memorization and improvisation in puppetry. (05:28)
• Learning Curve: All agree that puppetry is a completely new skill; line-learning must happen off-book very quickly, which leads to enduring confusion and the odd mistake.

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3. The Art and Physicality of Puppeteering

• Emily: "We have a little term called jelly beaning, which is what we call whenever your lip sync goes off… first week, first month… I jelly beaned about six times in that scene." (09:05)
• Mickey Jo: Describes the intensity: "We did puppet school… the final two rounds were just one-on-one with a puppet and it was just chaos." (05:10)
• Physique: The cast joke about having "bionic arms" and being "jacked" from the demanding physical work. (30:32)

Puppetry in Performance:

• Cast members must split their attention between acting as themselves and animating their puppet (the “60/40” rule—spend 60% of the time focused on the puppet, 40% engaged as themselves). (25:38)
• Charlie: "We experience it as like subtitles… for the moments that the puppets can’t physically do, because their faces don’t move." (25:57)

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4. Advice and Encouragement from Avenue Q Alumni

• Julie Atherton (original West End Kate/Lucy) mentors the new cast.
  • Charlie’s advice from Julie: "You will never feel ready. If you take one thing away… it’s that there will never come a point where you’re like, I am ready to go in front of an audience and do this new skill." (08:31)
  • The cast finds immense validation sharing struggles with Avenue Q alumni, knowing the challenges are universal.

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5. Making the Characters Their Own

• The cast initially felt pressure to mimic the original Broadway voices (especially for Trekkie Monster and Lucy), but creative leads encouraged interpretation rather than imitation.
  • Emily: "You just have to be enough in that world so that fans get to come back and feel it, but also it’s still your own." (11:33)
  • Mickey Jo: "If you try to replicate exactly, it’ll probably end up being worse than if you do your version." (11:43)

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6. Backstage Chaos and Quick Changes

• Discussion of the seamless, high-pressure puppet swaps and multiple character changes that happen offstage, with funny stories of mishaps:
  • Mickey Jo: "I had one night where I was holding Princeton in ‘For Now’ but singing as Rod—and Princeton was singing as Rod too." (28:35)
• Emily and Charlie praise the teamwork required, especially when multiple performers control and voice different aspects of one character.

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7. Favorites and Dream Roles

• Puppets’ Aspirations:
  • Trekkie Monster sets sights on Les Misérables ("Bring him home!") and Cabaret (“You have to understand the way I am, mein Herr…”). (13:07–13:37)
  • Lucy claims, "Obviously, I look perfect for Glinda… I could sing ‘Popular’ to Kate. She needs a fucking makeover." (26:19)
  • Rod dreams of Bill Sykes from Oliver!: "Strong men tremble when they hear it…" (26:54–27:23)

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8. The Deeper Lessons of Avenue Q

• Charlie (on Kate Monster): "There’s a whole bit about… not everyone’s dreams come true. If you knew that, you might not want to ever grow up, but you can’t stop growing up… It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, but you’ve just got to keep trucking on." (21:00–21:36)
• Emily: On Trekkie’s arc ("School for Monsters" moment): "When he gets his little School for Monsters moment at the end, it means so much… he’s starting to come into this community… even in those little cameo roles, there’s always a whole story going on." (21:40–22:43)
• They agree Avenue Q balances chaos and deep sincerity, revealing truths about adulthood and belonging through puppet characters.

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9. Building Believable Puppet Characters

• On Stagecraft:
  • Attention to minute physical details: "When you walk, the elbows go up and down… your thumb then wants to do the same thing… but the mouth isn’t necessarily doing this. So the thumb has to be doing a different rhythm to what your elbow’s doing." (29:44–29:59)
  • Mickey Jo: "We’re always doing and thinking about so many things at the same time for the whole show. It is really, really mad." (30:56)

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10. Memorable Quotes & Fun Moments

- Puppet banter and off-beat humor:

• Tricky Monster (to Mickey Jo): "Me like your hair… Me ask for hairstyle similar. What would you call your hair? Like, me ask for a queef." (06:11–06:24)
• Lucy: "I might be a slut, but I’m classy." (10:06)

- Tech & Logistics:

• Puppets have their own lighting trackers—each puppet, each quick-change, every detail precise. (27:25–27:52)

- On Backstage Life and Teamwork:

• Emily: "[Our co-puppeteer] is an unsung hero… one of my favorite things in the show is when we sing College… you have this comforting presence… it’s one of the weirdest partnerships in theatre I’ve ever done." (31:22–32:13)

- Physical Comedy:

• On stage mishaps: "It was a highlight when you walked into the wall and [co-puppeteer] kept it up. I think we’ve all run into a wall in the show." (33:01–33:15)

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Notable Timestamps

| Time | Moment | |----------|------------| | 03:15–03:45 | Cast’s initial reactions to the show returning | | 04:08–05:28 | Audition process and puppet school stories | | 06:04–06:43 | Tricky Monster’s “fur routine” banter | | 07:20–07:54 | Julie Atherton’s advice and cast mentorship | | 09:05 | “Jelly beaning”: puppetry mishaps explained | | 10:33–11:43 | Voice/character choices, imitation vs. interpretation | | 13:07–13:37 | Trekkie’s musical theater dream roles | | 21:00–21:36 | Deeper “life lesson” moments from the show | | 25:38–26:07 | The “60/40” puppet/performer focus rule | | 28:35–29:29 | Onstage mix-ups doing multiple puppets/voices | | 29:44–29:59 | Technical details: walking & speaking as a puppet | | 33:01–33:15 | Backstage mishaps and physical comedy |

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Tone & Language

• Playful, irreverent, and affectionate, mirroring Avenue Q’s spirit.
• Honest about the challenges involved—both physical and mental.
• Peppering the interview are improvisational jokes, especially from the puppets (portrayed in character).
• The cast’s mutual admiration and real personal connection are apparent throughout.

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In Closing

Avenue Q’s West End return is a feast of backstage revelations, brutal honesty about the demands of puppet-musical theatre, and, most of all, infectious enthusiasm. The cast’s affection not just for the work but for each other—and their willingness to share their mistakes, missed cues, and hard-won lessons—make this a must-listen for theatre fans, aspiring performers, and anyone who’s ever wondered just how much goes into making the puppets on Avenue Q come alive.

Memorable Endnote

• Tricky Monster: "We’ll get through this together." (33:31)

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Transcript

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[Interviewer / Host]

oh my God. Hey the fuzzy fan favourite musical Avenue Q is back in the West End and I'm here today at the Shaftesbury Theatre for a very special interview with some of the cast and residents.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Me on the Internet.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yes,

[Lucy (Performer)]

hello. Yeah, is this thing on? Jesus, that camera is tiny. And that's not the first time I've said that.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Oh, my God. Hey, it's me, Tricky Monster.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Oh, my God. Hey, babe, it's me, Lucy ts.

[Rod (Performer)]

Oh, my God. Hey, I am Rod from Avenue Q and I'm here with Mickey Jo.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Hello, Mickey Jo.

[Interviewer / Host]

Hello, Tricky Monster.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Are you good?

[Interviewer / Host]

I'm very well, thank you.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Interview complete.

[Interviewer / Host]

We are here in the Shaftesbury Theatre. The three of you are in Avenue Q. What was your reaction when you first heard that it was coming back?

[Charlie (Performer)]

I think I like the rest of the West End text my agent being like, get me in. Yeah, that was my immediate reaction. I love it.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

It's the actually only show I've ever messaged my agent and said, I think I should be in for this. I think I need to audition for this show because I saw it and I was like. I was in a bit of a depressive episode, bedrotting, and then I saw this announcement and I was like, I'm alive again. I want to do it, I want to do it, I want to do it.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

I thought it'd be really nice to watch.

[Interviewer / Host]

I never could get the chance.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

I didn't think I was going to do it. And then I got an audition and I was like, oh, sure, we'll see what happens. And then, you know, we did quite a lot around, so I got really, really wanting it. But I was always a bit like. I think because it was one of those famous ones that I grew up with. I was like, oh, but it won't, it won't pan out. I'll enjoy the process and then it'll probably not happen. And now I get to do it every night. It's a very different experience.

[Interviewer / Host]

The audition process for this show has to have been interesting. What did you have to do and who had done puppetry before in any capacity?

[Charlie (Performer)]

I always say I'd done some don't look at me puppetry, like, as in, you know, this kind where you're like, I don't exist. And this is. And I did line watch in the wardrobe at the bridge and was Aslan's left shoulder, which was really fun, but very opposite to. I've never done any lip syncing puppetry. And it was terrifying. They literally just handed us. We did like a three hour workshop audition with lots of people, you know, names on chests, whole shebang. And it was quite intense. But what was nice was that they gave us that opportunity, which was a bit more like a workshop so then when you went in for the later rounds, you had a little bit. I mean, looking back now, I'm like, I was clueless and I couldn't do it. But at the time you were like, oh, at least I've had a bit of chance to. But yeah, you just got handed a puppet and sort of did a three

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

hour, three hour long workshop with other actors, even the human characters. So people who auditioned for humans had to come in, do the three hour

[Charlie (Performer)]

long workshop, puppet school with us.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then the final two rounds were just one on one with puppet and it was just chaos.

[Charlie (Performer)]

I came out with like horrific arm cramp to meet my girlfriend afterwards and I had to ice my arm because, like, I didn't know how to do it properly. I was like, yeah, yeah, it was.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah, it was just that whole thing like a puppetry school and just all of it was just mental. I think the thing that I find the most bizarre was the fact that with the puppets you can't have a script. So being in like an audition process and being constantly given new scripts, because I remember at the time going for the finals, I was doing panto down in Torquay. So I'd got up at 4 o' clock in the morning to go to this audition and had a new bad idea bear scene and I just hadn't learnt it. So I just improvised the whole scene with.

[Charlie (Performer)]

As you will have discovered from.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Which is my comfort zone.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

The weather is warm and Mickey Joe is looking very pretty today.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Thank you.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Me like your hair.

[Interviewer / Host]

Thank you. I like yours.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Yeah. Me ask for hairstyle similar. What would you call your hair? Like me ask for a queef.

[Interviewer / Host]

It's in the neighborhood. It's in the.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

We like neighborhoods. Yes. Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

Thank you. I was gonna ask if you had a fur routine to get all of this.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Oh, yes, yes, yes, yes. Me have many fluffers who come. You okay?

[Interviewer / Host]

I'm good. I'm fine.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

We have many fluffers.

[Rod (Performer)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

They come to me dressing room and they brush me and they make sure me looking good and me ready to go.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Even when we started rehearsals and stuff. And they were like, you're gonna have to be off book straight away. And we were like, why? And it's cause there's too many to think about.

[Charlie (Performer)]

I still say wrong, which is like, because we have to be off book so quickly. You don't have that period where you're blocking with the script so the lines don't go in, so you're sort of glancing and going yeah, yeah, I know that. And then you start doing it. And still to this day, Julie Atherton will come into my dressing room and be like, you're still doing that line wrong. And it's because I learnt it wrong, because we sort of got a look. So.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

Is that a pressure or a beautiful gift that Julia's involved in the creative team who was the West End's original Kate and Lucy.

[Charlie (Performer)]

I freaked out when she was in the room. I literally, like, made a fool of myself and was like, I'm a big fan.

[Rod (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Charlie (Performer)]

No, I love it.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

It's amazing. I. I normally get really scared when people who have done the show that you're doing in the past come to watch, but with Avenue Q, I think it's such a niche experience and I feel like only the people who have done the show understand how, like, crazy it is expressed.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Like, that's the thing of, like, you've learned this skill specifically for this thing.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Well, it was.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

You kept being like. You kept being like, the audience have to hold a puppet for at least an hour if they want to come and see the show, because they need to know. Whenever we were in rehearsals, you were like, all the audience should be made to do some puppetry for at least an hour so that they understand how much pain we're in.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

But it's. But that's the thing. It's like, nobody. Nobody understands it unless you've done it. So having Julie here is, like, really lovely. She gets struggles and like, she was always saying when they were blocking purpose. Last time, when she did it, that's when they all had, like, breakdowns. And then when, like, we had breakdowns doing purpose, we were like, oh, it's okay.

[Interviewer / Host]

It's the purpose breakdown.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Charlie (Performer)]

She said a really lovely thing to me when I had my breakdown, which was like, you will never feel ready. Like, that's. If you take one thing away from this feeling, it's that there will never come a point where you're like, I am ready to go in front of an audience and do this new skill. She was like, it won't happen, so just accept that you will never feel ready. And I was, like, terrifying, but also

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

very useful and also was completely accurate. Like, I think that that first week, we. We have a. We have a little term called jelly beaning, which is what we. What we call whenever your lip sync goes off. So, like, if. If I'm like, lip syncing along and then all of a sudden it stopped for a second, or if you forget

[Charlie (Performer)]

to open the puppet's mouth.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah, yeah. And we call it jelly beaning. And I think the entire first week, it was like, I jelly beaned about six times in that scene.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

First week, first month. Okay, look, don't point out my jelly bean.

[Interviewer / Host]

What's it like telling your story again on the West End stage?

[Lucy (Performer)]

Well, you know, luckily, I haven't changed aesthetically in 20 years, apart from some leg addition. So, honestly, I just come out and do the same thing over and over again, and people go crazy for it, as they should.

[Interviewer / Host]

You're giving us a little. You're kind of a musical theater triple threat, dare I say.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Yeah, obviously. I mean, quadruple, if you count the two legs, you know.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

Individually. Yeah. And I'm wondering if there's a pre show routine, any stretching involved.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Well, the good thing about having removable legs is that the stretching isn't really essential. But I make sure that my assistants give them a good once over before we go.

[Rod (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Make sure there's no holes in the tights, you know? Cause I might be a slut, but I'm classy.

[Interviewer / Host]

Sure, sure. And that's the important thing.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Yeah, of course.

[Interviewer / Host]

Now you're all playing iconic characters. You each depict multiple characters in the show. How much rigidity was there in terms of, like, the iconic voices that there have been and how closely? Because, like, as you're auditioning it, do you go, like, do I have this voice in me? Can I do that? Yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

When we. When we auditioned, like, I know for my. Like, it said on the breakdown that you should listen to the original Broadway cast album and you should try to imitate the voice. And specifically with Trekkie, it was like, if you can't do that eight times a week, don't bother auditioning. But then when we got the job and we had, like, a FaceTime with. With Rick, and he. He sort of was like, no, no, no. Like, it. It just has to exist within the world because it's paying homage to all of these various characters.

[Charlie (Performer)]

You're interpreting a character much like you would as an actor if you went in to play an iconic role. There's certain things that you have to maintain, but certain things that you can stretch and play with and give your own spin to. Like, Lucy's voice in particular. We're doing quite a different. They really wanted her to feel slightly more. Slightly younger, slightly more like a modern version of what she would be. So we sort of landed on the voice that you heard me do earlier, which I love doing, and it's Great. And that's.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

It's like, when you take over those characters, it's like, you just have to be enough in that world so that, like, fans of the show get to come back and they get to, like, feel it, but also it's still your own.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

But it was mainly saying, like, if you try to replicate exactly, it'll probably end up being worse than if you do your version of. So we were really encouraged to do

[Interviewer / Host]

our version of a performance versus an imitation.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

But it was my most stressful day because he opened that video call by having him being Nicky, and I was like. I was like, I'll just go home then.

[Interviewer / Host]

Right.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

I was terrified. I was like, oh, gosh.

[Interviewer / Host]

But did you know you could do a trekking monster voice? Like, at what point in life had that occurred to you?

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

I play a lot of D and D. Yeah. So I was kind of used to doing strange voices in my kitchen. And it's. I know it's just a stretch from that, you know, but.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Yeah.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Even now, it's a struggle to get Charlie out of treasury.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah, it is. I get told off for being like, oh, me want to drink? Like, I'll say me instead of I far too often now in my vocabulary, it's concerning how I'll be by the end.

[Interviewer / Host]

I was wondering, while you've been here in London at the Shaftesbury Theatre, what your other favorite spots around the city have been.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Well, you know me spend a lot of time inside. You know, me social life is online. But me big fan of big red buses. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And if you get the double bus, you sit on front and it like flying.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Sure.

[Interviewer / Host]

I was wondering, now that you're a musical theater stage star.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Yes.

[Interviewer / Host]

If you have any other dream roles you would like to share with us?

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Me have so many me in me West End era. So me planning to start with Les Mis, maybe Valjean. You know, Bring him home.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Bring him home.

[Interviewer / Host]

Moving.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Beautiful. Yeah. And maybe cabaret. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You have to understand the way I am, mein Herr. A tiger's not a tiger, but a lamb.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Meinhe.

[Interviewer / Host]

I'm ready to see either.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Do you think I could be in any other ones?

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah, almost. Almost every show I could think of would be improved if you were, I think, Phantom of the Opera.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

They want to get with me. Oh, oh. Ren's coming back and they got the. They got the guy from Stranger Things.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yes.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Mika, be the other celebrity.

[Interviewer / Host]

It's breaking news.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

No, please, no. Not tonight, please.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

No.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Mr. Cantrew, go. Not tonight. Let's go.

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[Interviewer / Host]

I think that would be great. You each have sort of the slightly more conventional and then the slightly more outgoing character. And I'm wondering which is the more fun to play on stage or whether it changes whether you're having like a great Lucy day and then the next day it's like, yeah, it's that.

[Charlie (Performer)]

It's absolutely that. I had a whole yawn of time where I hated doing Lucy because she's got this particular walk and she's got two rods, which I hate. And I used to be like, don't want to do Lucy today. Whereas now I find Lucy. Like I slip into Lucy easier and I'm having a bit of trouble with Kate and like, yeah, it is. It's that thing of one day, it's one and one dates the other.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

I think I'm quite lucky in that mine are both. All of mine are absolutely mental and I really enjoy all of them because they're quite. I don't feel like I have to carry a lot of like emotional weight in this show. I get a lot of just getting to rock up, do something silly or like more support Another storyline which, which Is really, really lovely and really, really fun. But I don't think there's ever a day where it's not fun being tracky. Because sometimes that window opens and he appears and the audience just go mad. And you're like, it doesn't matter. I don't exist to these people. Like, as soon as Trekkie's there, it's like, even when we went did Britain's Got Talent. And like, just the look of him, just who he is, just draws everyone in and it's. Yeah, but he's so cute. He is so cute. He's so much fun. We have a lot of fun with him backstage.

[Interviewer / Host]

How about with Princeton and Rod?

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Mine's the same as Emily. Like, when we first started, I was very anti Princeton. Princeton used to scare me. Princeton used to, like, freak me out. And I was like, I just don't know what to do with Princeton. And then I. And Rod, I just am Rod. Nasally, monotone, Republican, Gay, not Republican, but Rod, I always found easier. And then. But recently I've got, like. It just changes recently at the minute. I actually do prefer doing Princeton a lot.

[Interviewer / Host]

Your Princeton is so good. And it's so detailed and he has quirks and texture and like, it's. He's sort of one of the. More as a character, like, generic of the neighborhood, basically. And that was one of the things that I really. Yeah, he's the self. Insert protagonist of Avenue King.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Everyone goes, I can be him.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah. But that was one of the things I really loved about coming to see this new version with the changes. I was like, oh, this is a really interesting take on Princeton.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Thank you. Yeah, but he just used to. He just used to terrify me. I just used to find him so daunting.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Like the straight man in scenes, I think with, like, Charlie's characters, like you said, get to sort of come in and cause chaos. Same with Lucy, where I get to. She's a ridiculous sort of. Whereas I think Kate and Princeton, we get some. Some of those quite, like, emotionally invested scenes, which when you've got. You know, we're lucky in the sense that we had a brilliant director and a brilliant creator team who encouraged us to, like, be genuine with it. But it can be. It can feel quite exposing to be within a silly show doing something quite earnest.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

It's also. What I love about it when you guys do it as well is that I think because of the puppets, it invokes, like, a childishness in the audience, like, which I think, like, as the show goes, how many shows do we have, like. We have some shows where we start and it's like, like laugh a minute from the beginning and other times you feel them being slowly, slowly drawn in. But the more that they get drawn in by the puppets for the laughs and the, the. The hijinks and the chaos, the more that we also get these really audible, like, dramatic moments as you hear like the. Oh, and you. And people are so vocal. And I think that it's because, like, not only like the sincerity with which those dramatic scenes are played, but the, the, the, the. The childish. The childishness that comes out of you just by the puppetry. Like, it's a really bizarre show.

[Interviewer / Host]

Hi, Rudd. It's very nice to meet you.

[Rod (Performer)]

Oh, it is so good to meet you. I love your videos.

[Interviewer / Host]

I know that you are, like myself, a musical theater fan.

[Rod (Performer)]

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

And I'm wondering what some of your favorite musicals are other than Avenue Q.

[Rod (Performer)]

Oh, well, I love the old classics. Yeah. Like hello, Dolly, gfc.

[Interviewer / Host]

What does it mean for you to be bringing meaningful, important representation to the stage?

[Rod (Performer)]

Oh, yeah, well, there really aren't very many Republicans in musicals. Yeah. So it feels really special. Oh, and to be a blue person. Yeah, it's. It just means so much to me.

[Interviewer / Host]

Sure, sure, sure, sure, sure, sure. I was wondering, I know you have a girlfriend. Long distance relationship. Canada.

[Rod (Performer)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Alberta.

[Interviewer / Host]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Beautiful name. And I was wondering, is she gonna have a chance to come and see the show?

[Grow Therapy Announcer]

Oh,

[Rod (Performer)]

yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. She was a little bit ill earlier, so we're just hoping she gets a little bit pet her then she's gonna come. Yeah. But, yeah, she totally intends to.

[Interviewer / Host]

I'm sure she's gonna love it.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Right.

[ActiveCampaign Announcer]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

She's gonna have a great time.

[Rod (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

I've always thought of Avenue Q as It's a parody of Sesame street. But that extends to. That there are life lessons within there beneath the silliness and wackiness of it all. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on actual sincere lessons that can be learned from Avenue Q. I've got my.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Because my 1. She literally says she's got this whole. There's a whole bit about. But that's the way life. That's the way life is. Princeton, you can't. And she sort of goes off and says, some people's dreams come come true. Not everyone's. Do you know, if you knew that, you might not want to ever grow up, but you can't stop growing up. This idea that it's not Always sunshine and rainbows, but you've just got to keep trucking on, I think, is a real sort of hook of adulthood where

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

you're like, oh, God.

[Charlie (Performer)]

But I love saying that bit every night because it's nice to remind yourself

[Interviewer / Host]

that, why am I crying at a puppet?

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah, yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

There's so many, obviously, like, especially in the first act, there's so many, like, lesson songs, you know, like that. That the message is very clear. Like, if you were gay, literally says its message in the very first lines. Like, if you were gay, that would be okay. Like. But I think the. What I quite enjoy, I suppose, about the characters I get to play, and the message that I hope gets to go to the audience, especially around, like, Trekkie and stuff, and is, like, even though these characters are really bombastic and really, really silly, there's still, like, a thing that they're dealing with. Especially with Trekkie. You don't see the whole show. He's just sort of told. It's like, oh, he's a pervert. He's a weirdo. Like, he's a bit of an outsider, which I feel like. Then when we were in the rehearsal room, I was like, oh, but I really want to play, like, somebody who really wants to be a part of the group and doesn't know how to do that. And then when he gets his little School for Monsters moment at the end, and it means so much to him because it's the beginning of, like, him starting to come into this community. And it's like there's sometimes even in those little sort of supporting roles, those cameo roles, there's always a whole story going on of, like, people that you see in the street and you just don't know what's going on.

[Interviewer / Host]

When people think about puppeteering, the first thing they're gonna do is this. And then, like, the eyes are going backwards. And that's not actually indicative. Yeah, beautiful. Exactly. And so I'm wondering what are like, some of the first little details? Because the way you bring these characters to life, having just got to see it, is impeccable. With Rod, it was mind boggling. What are the little first few lessons that you learn in that that kind of evolve it into a living thing?

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

I think we all just had to really fuck up and fail so much. And, like. And even now, we're still doing stuff where you're like, oh, oh, that. Oh, if I do this, that will make it look like it's doing this and that. And, like, I think it's just a really

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[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

I can't think of any like specific things that made me go, oh, this is. It was just such a gradual, long thing that still is happening now. Every night I'm like, oh, I'm just in that little thing and that's really cute and that's really fun. I'm going to keep doing that.

[Interviewer / Host]

Is it hard to do it because it's a really particular type of puppetry because you're not deferring, you're not looking at the puppet while it's happening. You're also performing. So you kind of have to trust that everything is happening correctly over here.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

That was hard immediately.

[Interviewer / Host]

And you've got to be in touch with your body, I guess. But also it's like you're not trying to pull focus with what you're doing, but you're sharing it.

[Lucy (Performer)]

It's a percentage that they.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

60, 40. Wasn't it?

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

60, 40. Yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

60 Puppet.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

60% in theory. And I think it changes throughout the show as well. So I think they were Saying it's like 60, 40, 60. You're meant to be looking at the puppet, but 40 looking at us. There's A. Like, there's this misconception that, like, you're not meant to look at us at all. That isn't actually true.

[Charlie (Performer)]

They said we experience it as, like, subtitles. I found that really useful. Yeah, Subtitles for the moments that the puppets can't physically do because their faces don't actually move.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah. Way too much. Yeah. Yeah.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Lucy's just full of you.

[Interviewer / Host]

I'm wondering if we could get a flavor of any of your musical theater dream roles.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Oh, my God. Well, obviously, I look perfect for Glinda. And I think I have the right vocal range. Popular. You're gonna be popular. I could sing that to Kate. She needs a fucking makeover. Am I allowed to swear? Sorry. Yeah. Yeah, so I think that would work. Maybe me and Kate is, you know, Glinda and Elfie.

[Interviewer / Host]

Listen, I'm ready to buy a ticket. Thank you so much.

[Lucy (Performer)]

Anytime, babe. It's been a pleasure.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

I was wondering if you have personally any other musical theater dream roles you could share with us.

[Rod (Performer)]

Oh, yeah. Well, my biggest dream is Bill Sykes from Oliver. Yeah. Strong man tremble when they hear it They've got cause enough to fear it it's much blacker than they smear it Nobody mentions my name yeah, it's perfect.

[Interviewer / Host]

That's exactly what I thought of for you.

[Rod (Performer)]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Right.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

But there are moments where, like, they really do want people to be looking at just the puppets. So moments in, like, fantasies. At the start in the beds, we're not lit as much as the puppets are because the puppets have their own lighting trackers in them as well. So, like, there are specific moments where things will be more lit. Puppets will be more lit than, like, we will kind of thing.

[Interviewer / Host]

The puppets have their own lighting trackers. Sorry, I'm still on that.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Wow, Divas.

[Charlie (Performer)]

They are upset, Steven.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Especially if you consider, like, how many of each puppet there are, and each one has its own, like, lightning tracker.

[Interviewer / Host]

That's mad.

[Charlie (Performer)]

And there is something. You've got some crazy quick puppet changes.

[Interviewer / Host]

Quick puppet changes.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Noah walks off stage, swaps puppets and is back on with the first line in the next scene. And I'm often like, you have multiple puppets you're portraying. Yeah, but I'm on stage with it.

[Interviewer / Host]

Conjunction with each other. Like, you're doing that thing of when you learn an audition and you're, like, learning all the lines you actually have that you're playing scenes with yourself.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

You do so much of it. I do it once and I'm only night of. I absolutely buggered it when I'm like,

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

oh, like all the time.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

I've already had one night where I'm holding Princeton.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Oh, this was great.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

There was. We had a little. We had a little A faux pas on stage and it had thrown me. And then I was holding Princeton in for now. But singing as Rod. But Princeton was very much singing as Rod too. And since. So people do not understand how hard what Emily does. How hard what Emily does is

[Interviewer / Host]

the

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

doing the duologs of yourself is the most mind boggling thing because it's so hard to keep the puppet on your hand alive that you're not voicing and keep them listening. And Emily does. It's. Yeah, it's crazy.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

When Kate folds her skirt down during Lucy's lines is one of my favorite bits to watch.

[Charlie (Performer)]

I'm like, cheats. That's my cheat move.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yes.

[Charlie (Performer)]

I literally get her to like stroke her stomach. I'm like, at least I'm doing something.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

There's the key lessons in puppetry.

[Interviewer / Host]

Fold the skirt. But it's so easy to not notice because you tune into the characters you and you're like, of course Kate isn't talking while Lucy. Because that's Kate and that's Lucy. And then you zoom out and you're like, oh, that's really difficult. What's actually happening there.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

But what you just did is the whole show for us. I always talk about when we have to walk and speak as puppets. Because when you walk the elbows going up and down.

[Charlie (Performer)]

You want to never walk.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah. You never want to.

[Charlie (Performer)]

You're walking and you're like, I want to be still.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Charlie (Performer)]

You do my line standing still and then walk and then say my line.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Because so confusing. Because if you. Your elbow is going up and down, your thumb then wants to do the same thing. But if you're speaking, the mouth isn't necessarily doing this. So the thumb has to be doing a different rhythm to what your elbow's doing. Which is so. And there's so many little bits like that in the show.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Racist is everyone's. A little bit is one of the. We dance in that. As the puppets as well. And that one still to this day. I have to really.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Interviewer / Host]

These are all the things that you didn't think about when you were like, call my agent, get me in. I can do this.

[Charlie (Performer)]

I do have a bionic arm. And we've all got.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

We are jacked.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Just one arm. Just a very tennis like zeitgeist.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

It's concerning. But it's because we were. Me and Meg got to be so Involved in, like, the choreography for if you were gay. And if you notice, we've been very, very smart about when we move. We also. We find a lot of oh, da, da. Because we were like, this is hard enough. We don't need to make it any more difficult.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

We're just always doing so. And thinking about so many things at the same time for the whole show. It is really, really mad.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

It is. I was just about to say that

[Charlie (Performer)]

is Charlie's second arm, but she also. She's the one who's physically doing Lucy when I'm not, or physically doing Kate when I'm not. And that girl does not leave the stage.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

She puppets everyone.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Apart from newcomer.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Apart from newcomer.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Yeah.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

She.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Every single puppet. And, like, she's running left, right and center. Like, if you can see the backstage track and Mrs. T. And like, it's. It's been so much like for. For me especially, because we've, like, kind of created these characters together and, like, we found all of these little movements and ways to, like, communicate. But also she's an unsung hero because I'm a nightmare for doing the same thing. And she's just. It's. And it's. I think one of my favorite actual things in the show on a slight detour is when we sing College. I'm, like, singing in the rafters, and I have this, like, really high note. And there's no show where someone just has their hand on your back and is like, this comforting presence. You're, like, literally being like, okay, here we go. Show me. It'll, like, whatever. And. But it's like, one of, like, the weirdest partnerships in, like, theater I've ever done.

[Charlie (Performer)]

I also started to share brain cells.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

We do share brain cell. Yeah. It's different. We can't play odds on together because we've actually ended up. We get each other almost every time.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

She also has to match when she's puppeting a character that somebody else is voicing. She has to match our puppeteering.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Our voices, energy.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Yeah.

[Charlie (Performer)]

Oh, that's.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Yeah. So in theory, we have to, like, try and say the lines the same every night, but sometimes that just doesn't happen. And Meg has to, like, keep up with that. And it's just mind boggling. I do a tiny bit of Trekkie in the window, and I do that for Charlie for, like, the first verse of porn. And Charlie is still singing, and my mouth is closed. It's just so hard. But Meg does it, like, so much of it. And does it, like, it's just so amazing.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

It was a highlight when you walked into the wall and Meg. And Meg kept it up. I think we've all run into a wall in the show.

[Charlie (Performer)]

No one made quite as much noise as I.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

No, you did. I thought the set was going to fall down

[Interviewer / Host]

for all of those hijinks. And more people can come and see Avenue Q at the Shaftesbury Theatre.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Please come down.

[Interviewer / Host]

Thank you for telling me about the show. Thank you so much.

[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Thank you.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

This is great.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

It's okay.

[Interviewer / Host]

Thank you, Trekkie Monster.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

We'll get through this together.

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Thank you.

[Interviewer / Host]

It's been great to meet you. I was wondering, now that you are on stage in a musical, if you had any other. Sorry. I'll do that again. Holding hands.

[Lucy (Performer)]

So you know you can find me hanging around Leicester Square at like midnight. And for a certain price, I'll do anything.

[Interviewer / Host]

Okay. Okay.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Are you okay?

[Interviewer / Host]

I am.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Do you want a hug? No.

[Interviewer / Host]

I'd love a hug.

[Tricky Monster (Puppet Character)]

Dad? Dad. Mickey. Joe. Oh, my God.

[Rod (Performer)]

Hey.

[Interviewer / Host]

Thank you so much for listening to this interview. Make sure to get your tickets to see Avenue Queue at the Shaftesbury Theatre in the West End. And I hope that everyone is staying safe and that you have a Stagey Day. For 10 more seconds. I'm Micky Jo Theatre. Oh, my God. Hey, thanks for watching. Have a stagey day. Subscribe

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[Mickey Jo (Performer)]

Don't squeeze in, spread out, find homes

[Charlie (Performer)]

and big enough for your whole guest list on vrbo.

[Interviewer / Host]

That's vacation rentals done.

[Rod (Performer)]

Right?

[Emily (Performer for Trekkie Monster)]

Book your stay now.