Why So Serious? As I was buying my tickets to Avenue Q prior to the performance, I was expecting nothing but two hours filled with crude humor, funny puns, and entertaining scenes. After all, this musical did win three Tony awards. After experiencing the musical, however, I found a message hidden in the midst of all the inappropriate jokes and comedic scenes: a less serious approach to a serious issue is possible. Avenue Q is a musical which stars puppets who are controlled by puppeteers giving the performance a sesame street like feel. The musical is set on Avenue Q, an imaginary street in New York City. The story begins with Princeton, a college graduate with a useless English degree. He wants to find his purpose in life, and is determined to make a change in the human race. However, since he hasn't found his purpose, he resides in a cheap apartment on Avenue Q while he searches for it. After living on the street for a while, he meets the other residents, who all have an interesting back story. With a humorous song about whose life is worse, all the other puppets emerge. The most important of these characters is Kate, a member of the "monster race". Since she was discriminated because of her race during her school days, she wants to open a special school only for monsters. When Princeton asks Kate if all monsters were related, a song concerning racism starts. The story then switches scenes to two roommates, Rod and Nicky. Nicky is suspicious about Rod's sexuality, and assures Rod that it would be okay if he was gay. Rod immediately dismisses the idea and furiously reprimands him. As the musical continues, more characters are introduced and the storyline becomes more complex. However, the two significant things I took from this play came from these two scenes. After watching the performance, I finally understood how a puppet show won so many prestigious awards: the way the musical portrayed today's issues such as racism and homosexuality. The song "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" points out that, well, the fact that everyone can be a little bit racist. The sheer simplicity and