He’s the Tony-recognised director and all-round king of LOL that’s helped bring to life some of the funniest and grandest pieces of live theatre and film - from Shrek: The Musical to Pitch Perfect, all the way to Sisters, starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler and his Tony-winning smash-hit show Avenue Q - which now celebrates 20-plus years since its first off-Broadway opening back in 2003.

And now, the famous talking and singing puppets return back to London with a thrilling new, slightly tweaked but all-star original production in the West End with a special 20th-anniversary production brought together by the original Broadway creative team.

In an exclusive conversation in London where he rejoins his host of all-star creatives, Avenue Q’s original director reflects on the power of singing puppets, tackling topics that seem somewhat off-limits head-on when you’ve got a furry friend by your side, and what the first reactions were like to the show all those years ago - including a certain scene where the puppets get down and dirty in You Can Be as Loud as the Hell You Want (When You're Makin' Love).

Plus, the rare task of revisiting a show 20+ years later, updating his material for a 2026 audience and how Lucy, The Slut’s now infamous live performance of Special for the then Prince Charles came about.

We also dive into key moments from his film,television and stage career including mounting Shrek: The Musical for Broadway - farting ogres and all - working with Reese Witherspoon on the upcoming Legally Blonde prequel series, Elle, and why he shares all our collective excitement at the new Murder She Wrote adaptation starring Jamie Lee Curtis as iconic mystery writer Jessica Fletcher, which he is set to also direct.

Anybody for a bit of puppet love?

Host: William J Connolly

Produced by: William J Connolly/Darren Bell

avenueqmusical.co.uk