Avenue Q

Thinking of PBS's "Sesame Street" conjures up warm fuzzy feelings of making friends, learning stuff and being loved. The brilliantly cracked musical "Avenue Q" generates the same feelings but balanced with a heaping helping of cynicism, even bitterness and, as presented by the Lyric Stage, a whole lot of laughs and charm. It's "Sesame Street" with very adult lessons, like under- and unemployment, racism and sex -- lots and lots of hot puppet sex.

The Tony award-winning "Avenue Q" follows Princeton (John Ambrosino), a puppet who struggles to make a living of his B.A. in English and to find his life's purpose, and the other residents of a decidedly downscale urban street. Princeton falls for puppet Kate Monster (Eric Spyres) and makes friends new neighbors, the engaged couple of underachieving Brian (Harry McEnerny V) and Christmas Eve (Jenna Lea Scott, who simultaneously reinforces and busts Asian-American stereotypes), and roommates Nicky (Phil Tayler) and certainly Republican and probably gay rod (also Ambrosino). And it's all overseen by building superintendent Gary Coleman (Davron S. Monroe). Yes, that Gary Coleman.

With a book by Jeff Whitty that's both gut busting and touching and ridiculously hummable tunes with four-letter lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx, the show is perfect for the Lyric. "Avenue Q" thrives in the Lyric's intimate space and the cast is aces at landing the many jokes and bringing a sunny innocence and optimism to even songs with titles like "It Sucks to Be Me", "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "Schadenfreude." Director Spiros Veloudos, who does "smart" shows well, keeps the pacing snappy uses all levels of Kathryn Kawecki's unit set to good effect. Frank Meissner's lighting design effectively creates even more intimate pockets within the larger space.

But with such crackerjack material and minimal production demands, the focus really goes to the cast, and this one amply delivers. Ambrosino and Spyres are ridiculously charming as Princeton and Kate, with great pop voices to boot. As good as Ambrosino is as Princeton, he's simply wonderful as the uptight Rod, a bundle of closeted neuroses tied with a bow of anal retention. When Rod dreams that roomy Nicky returns his crush, Ambrosino gloriously cavorts and jetes about the stage in a puppet dream ballet with Phil Tayler as Nicky.

For sheer laughs, go-for-broke energy and total puppet/human integration, Taylor wins the prize. He's completely different, from voice to physicality, as Nicky, the porn-loving upstairs neighbor Trekkie Monster and the male Bad Idea Bear (who crows awesome advice like "She's wasted -- take her home!" to Princeton), disappearing into that puppet while his expressive face is always left visible to echo that character's emotions. Taylor's characters have mad chemistry with whomever else happens to be on stage, whether with Ambrosino in that ballet, Elise Arsenault (who wields the female Bad Idea Bear and assists in the puppetry of a number of other parts) or Monroe in "Schadenfreude."

Monroe, who's a bit of a statuesque Gary Coleman, gets his best moment though in a rocking ode to loud sex. The lone non-puppet characters, McEnerny and Scott provide able back up, with fewer scripted moments to shine than the other cast members. McEnerny is lovably goofy and Scott, although she sometimes struggles to hit the high notes, is a scream when in full bitch mode.

It's all so good that it feels petty to be annoyed that the sound design and the cast giving equal attention to all three sides of the Lyric's thrust stage meant that some vocal lines were slightly overwhelmed by the orchestra or that the comic bit of puppets breathing heavy after a big musical numbers gets old after the third time.

With so many laughs and actors who have to go around with puppets stuck to their hands, one could mistake "Avenue Q" for appealing fluff, but this sly musical has some very real lessons to teach 20-somethings just out on their own about life.

Yes, things can really suck, it's hard finding someone to share your life with and it's so hard to find meaning, to find your purpose that a lot of people never do. Still, while you're looking, "there's cool shit to do", you can have fun with your friends and that both the good and the bad are ephemeral. It takes a lot of skill to sound neither cynical nor Pollyanna while spouting that the worst "is only for now", but as the Lyric's cast goes from hopefulness to bitterness to grudging and even happy acceptance, they make "Avenue Q" a great place to visit.

"Avenue Q" continues through June 24 at the Lyric Stage Company in Boston. For more info you can go to the company's website.