'Avenue Q': Talk to the puppet

Talk about efficient.

It's not every day that this reporter gets two interviews out of one mouth.

But that happened the other day when I got to chat with both Rob McClure - one of the lead puppet handlers in the delightfully dizzy musical "Avenue Q" - and also with one of the two cloth-wrapped, legless characters Rob hangs out with all the time on stage, a twenty-something slacker named Princeton.

(Rob also has his hand up the butt - you should pardon the expression - of another puppet character named Rod, a chap who is awfully fond of Judy Garland movies and spends way too much time in the closet. Wonder where that's going?)

Landing on stage at the Forrest Theater Tuesday, "Avenue Q" is sure to resonate with anyone who's ever spent time watching an educational kiddie TV show where the stars are wide-eyed, innocent huggables that regularly breaking into song.

The premise of "Avenue Q" is: What would happen if those juvenile characters you grew up loving also grew up themselves and suddenly got a clue, discovering there's more to survival than learning your A-B-C's and making friends with cookie-lovin' monsters, big birds and trash-can-fixated grouches.

When these older but not always wiser creatures break into gleeful song, the lessons they've got to share are comic shockers like "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist" and "The Internet Is for Porn."

So "Avenue Q" is our story as well as the puppets'.

Maybe that's why McClure, 25, is not hiding behind a curtain or trying to disguise that Princeton and Rod's words are coming out of his mouth - even when Princeton is having genuine simulated puppet sex on stage with his on-again, off-again love interest, Kate Monster, or the easy come, easy go Lucy the Slut. (Parents, do leave the little ones at home!)

Q: So, Rob, what's your background? Did you have any puppet-handling experience before "Avenue Q"?

McClure: I was living here, in the Italian Market area, working as an actor at places like the Arden. Philadelphia has such a great theater scene. Growing up, I was a huge fan of "The Muppet Show," but that was about it.

I tried out for and eventually got parts in the Broadway production of "Avenue Q." Later, I joined the national touring company. They sent me to puppet camp before I ever saw the creatives of the show. At the camp, they put show puppets on your hand and guide you through the basics.

I was thrilled to learn it was as complicated as I imagined as a kid. The first thing they teach you is to make sure we can see the puppet inhale before he speaks. It's little details like that which make them come to life, and make us kind of disappear. Another rule: The puppeteers never make eye contact with one another. We only look at the other puppets.

Q: Uh, Princeton, how did you get your name? What were your parents thinking? And has it all worked out according to plan?

Princeton: My parents were hoping I'd be intelligent. As a kid, I was always ingrained with the idea, "You're special." But after graduating college I discovered I wasn't so special, and the world isn't full of endless opportunities.

Fortunately, I've got great friends at Avenue Q, which is down at the bottom of Alphabet City. Even my landlord, Gary Coleman - yeah, the guy from "Different Strokes." He lets me slide on the rent, but I've got to catch up soon, 'cause there are only so many TV commercials he can do.

Q: Back to you, Rob. I know the show makes disclaimers that there's no relationship, but how did the creators of "Sesame Street" and the Henson Muppets gang take to "Avenue Q"? And what do you think is the secret of its success?

McClure: Actually, some of the original "Sesame Street" puppeteers and Henson puppet makers worked on "Avenue Q," so they've been in on it from the ground floor. I got to talk to Jim Henson's son, Brian Henson, at ComiCom in San Diego. He said the reason his team all love the show is that it so clearly grew out of the world his father created. It's an homage to that world.

And while, on the surface, "Avenue Q" seems to be this ranchy, dirty puppet show, there's also a big heart to it. People don't expect to care about the characters as much as they wind up caring. We have audible gasps and awe at really sensitive moments. I remember when I first saw the show, I had to remind myself, "They're puppets." You get that invested in it.

Q: Speaking of the dirty parts, Princeton, which romantic partner do you really care about, and what's it like being, um, felt up and such in front of strangers?

Princeton: Kate Monster is so sweet. She knows what she wants and is very ambitious. But I've also had my eye on Lucy a bit. As for the sex, it helps that I have stamina like a bull. I'm getting it on twice a show, with both women, eight times a week. That may be some kind of moral record.

Q: And what will you guys be doing after the shows, while you're in town?

Rob: Basically, I'll collapse. Try holding your arm upright inside a puppet for two hours and 10 minutes and see how it feels afterwards.

Princeton: I've heard a lot about your cheesesteaks, but if I get any mess on my outfit, somebody's going to be really angry. I'm not easy to clean. *

"Avenue Q" opens at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Forrest Theater, 1114 Walnut St. Performances continue through Feb. 19, $31.50-$86.50, 800-447-7400, www.telecharge.com.