11 Great Musicals With Mature Themes

1. Avenue Q

Most musical theatre fans understand the pain of having to explain to their friends and family the appeal of Avenue Q. A comedy-musical in which the main cast consists of Sesame Street inspired puppets often comes across as either boring or childish, yet this Tony Award-winning show has become one of the most popular and successful musicals of the 21st Century. The childish atmosphere that is originally established is quickly revealed to be a clever satire, as the plot unfolds to be about a group of 20-and-30-somethings all struggling to come to terms with their failed life goals, repressed sexuality or lack of purpose. Don€™t be fooled by the plot synopsis though, this is without a doubt one of the funniest and most entertaining musicals in recent history. You need only to read through the track listing to understand the monumental laughs that this musical is prepared to deliver, which contains such incredible songs as It Sucks to Be Me, Everyone€™s a Little Bit Racist, If You Were Gay and The Internet Is for Porn. Amongst the high paced songs are chaotic comedy gems such as an exotic dance from a puppet named Lucy the Slut, a Star Trek and porn-obsessed cookie monster parody, Gary Coleman laughing and singing about a homeless man€™s misfortune and the characters trying to coax money out of the audience members. Possibly the most child unfriendly moment comes in the form of the song You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You€™re Makin€™ Love), where two of the puppets have incredibly loud sex whilst drunk, narrating some of the action as they go. Not only is Avenue Q€™s vision of puppet intercourse much funnier than that found in Team America: World Police, but it was achieved a year before Matt Stone and Trey Parker€™s film hit cinemas. With Tony Awards for Best Musical, Score and Book underneath its belt, this musical is a must-see for anybody who has ever enjoyed a piece of music or laughed at something.