by Jerry Nunn
Having heard about Avenue Q more than a year ago, Windy City Times took a trip to the Big Apple to check it out—and found the show to be amazing. Bringing theatergoers back to their childhoods and teaching new lessons, this Tony Award-winning Broadway show has something for everyone, including gays, straights and washed-up TV stars.
After the show, Windy City Times went backstage for an interview with former Illinois resident Howie Michael Smith, who plays Princeton and Rod.
Windy City Times: What a fun show! How did you get started in acting?
Howie Michael Smith: I did musicals back in high school and found out that I can make people laugh. I thought, 'Let me see if I can do more of this and make it a career.' Then I went to Carnegie Mellon University [ in Pittsburgh ] and put in four years there, studying voice and acting. After that, I actually moved to Chicago. My first gig was at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. Chicago was a big part of my life and discovering what I could do with theatre.
WCT: Then you moved to New York.
HMS: Yes, I moved here and worked as a singing waiter. An open call for Avenue Q came up and I just took a shot in the dark. After a couple of months of call backs, I freaking got the job!
WCT: What was the audition like?
HMS: I went and sang a song at first. Afterwards, they called me back and I did material from the show. They gave me [ the song ] Purpose. They put some puppet on me, to see if I could lip-sync while I was singing.
WCT: Did you practice before that?
HMS: When I was little I was obsessed with the Muppets, so I had some store-bought puppets at home. I watched Sesame Street and other shows and pretended I was on it. So that turned out to not be a waste of time.
WCT: I did, too. I loved them growing up.
HMS: It is fascinating to me that they can make them look real even though they are just pieces of foam and fur. So after the audition, they called me and told me to quit my job waiting tables and be an understudy for a year.
WCT: Did you get to go on sometimes?
HMS: I went on a lot—55 times in a year. Then a couple of months ago I went on full-time. I am so damn lucky. It doesn't feel like work. I am never tired of it.
WCT: You came to Chicago for the Gay Games. What was that like? I saw you at the Opening Ceremony. How did you project that onto a stadium?
HMS: The sound was bouncing off everything. So, I really had to not listen to anything around me [ and ] just listen to my ear prompter. If you listen to sound out there it is either ahead or behind you. The cheer from the crowd was amazing. It was crazy. They really loved it!
WCT: It was one of my favorite sections of the ceremonies. What would be your favorite puppet of all time?
HMS: Kermit has been in my life for a long time. I have an old picture with him in the photograph with me when I was little. I actually got to meet Kermit at the Muppet workshop.
WCT: This has changed your whole life. Avenue Q has won three Tony Awards. I think it speaks to so many people.
HMS: When you put a puppet on and deal with potentially really heavy issues with people, they kind of accept it a little more. It's interesting.
WCT: I was getting teary-eyed when the gay Republican puppet came out of the closet to his therapist.
HMS: I do too, sometimes. We have worked out this moment where one of his hands comes on top of hers and that is when it starts for me.
WCT: It is so touching. So, any plans to come to Chicago?
HMS: We just opened in London two months ago. And they just released the rights for a tour.
WCT: That is so exciting! And if people don't want to wait for the show to arrive in Chicago, they can just go now to www.avenueq.com, purchase tickets and visit New York City.
