There was some discussion among the creators of “Avenue Q” as to whether to make a change in their show since the superintendent of the apartment house is purported to be Gary Coleman. Would such a portrayal, which at most could be considered bad taste (as one would expect from a show that proclaims the joys of Internet pørņ), now become something uncomfortable and even distressing?
It turns out…not so much. Although they excised about twenty words of dialogue (for instance, instead of Gary–who, like Peter Pan, another individual who didn’t quite leave childhood behind, is played by a woman–saying that he’s a “former child star,” he now simply says “child star”) his character remains intact and undaunted by mortality. Gary Coleman the man may be gone, but “Gary Coleman,” the unstoppable symbol of soldiering on no matter what life hands you, lives on off-Broadway.
PAD
Originally published March 26, 1993, in Comics Buyer’s Guide #1010
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