this song was brought to us by the letter Q

this musical was full of surprises from start to end. no one wonder it has won a Tony for Best Musical.

you would think as an adult that you wouldn't want to watch any more of those silly muppets especially grown-up muppets. i must admit, the idea seemed a little bit corny at the beginning. however, you would be missing a lot if you dismiss the musical just like that. the characters of AvenueQ are nothing like the muppets and monsters from their Sesame Street counterparts. they do more than eat cookies all day or play with their rubber duckies or count sheeps in bed when they could not sleep. they do what many of us adults do: they work for a living, struggle to pay the rent, they lie, they cheat, they pretend to be someone they're not, they curse when they get mad, they surf the internet for things other than news or the weather, they go on with life even without purpose (ouch!), they hope and they get disappointed in the end, they go on following their dreams even when they dont have a clue how to get there.

before the playdate, i have listened to some of the songs from the soundtrack (more than a few times) and i thought i would be prepared to see it live on stage but i was sooo wrong! nothing could have prepared me for gary coleman's entrance, those uber kilig moments with kate monster and princeton, nicky and rod's "LQ" scenes and definitely nothing prepared me for that "puppet nudity" act. ugh! all my efforts were futile.

i wish you could have seen it if you werent able to... almost every song from the musical was every bit entertaining, both funny and wise at the same time. some are truly unforgettable and you can't help but relate to them. in fact, i think you should watch this musical if only to hear the muppets sing the song, "it sucks to be me" -- if you can not identify with this song, not even for a tiny bit... then you're not human!!!

here's the lyrics of the finale song, one of my personal favorites... an apt ending for the musical -- pregnant with truth and wisdom and meaning that when i heard them sing it, i did not know whether to laugh or cry!

Avenue Q cast, Manila production

Soundtrack: Avenue Q
Title: For Now

PRINCETON:
Why does everything have to be so hard?

GARY COLEMAN:
Maybe you'll never find your purpose.

CHRISTMAS EVE:
Lots of people don't.

PRINCETON:
But then- I don't know why I'm even alive!

KATE MONSTER:
Well, who does, really?
Everyone's a little bit unsatisfied.

BRIAN:
Everyone goes 'round a little empty inside.

GARY COLEMAN:
Take a breath,
Look around,

BRIAN:
Swallow your pride,

KATE MONSTER:
FOr now...

BRIAN, KATE, GARY, CHRISTMAS EVE:
For now...

NICKY:
Nothing lasts,

ROD:
Life goes on,

NICKY:
Full of surprises.

ROD:
You'll be faced with problems of all shapes and sizes.

CHRISTMAS EVE:
You're going to have to make a few compromises...
For now...

TREKKIE MONSTER:
For now...

ALL:
But only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now!

LUCY:
For now we're healthy.

BRIAN:
For now we're employed.

BAD IDEA BEARS:
For now we're happy...

KATE MONSTER:
If not overjoyed.

PRINCETON:
And we'll accept the things we cannot avoid, for now...

GARY COLEMAN:
For now...

TREKKIE MONSTER:
For now...

KATE MONSTER:
For now...

ALL:
But only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now! (For now)
Only for now!

Only for now!
(For now there's life!)
Only for now!
(For now there's love!)
Only for now!
(For now there's work!)
For now there's happiness!
But only for now!
(For now discomfort!)
Only for now!
(For now there's friendship!)
Only for now (For now!)
Only for now!

Only for now! (Sex!)
Is only for now! (Your hair!)
Is only for now! (George Bush!)
Is only for now!

Don't stress,
Relax,
Let life roll off your backs
Except for death and paying taxes,
Everything in life is only for now!

NICKY:
Each time you smile...

ALL:
...Only for now

KATE MONSTER:
It'll only last a while.

ALL:
...Only for now

PRINCETON:
Life may be scary...

ALL:
...Only for now
But it's only temporary

Ba-dum ba-dum
Ba-dum ba-dum
Ba dum ba-dum
Ba-da da da da
ba-da da-da da da-da
Ba-dum ba-da, ba-dum ba-da
ohhhh-

PRINCETON:
Everything in life is only for now.

-ooo-

of course, i still believe that there are things in life that are eternal and not just for now... and although there is something comforting about the temporary nature of things, there is also comfort in knowing that some things will never change and they will last more than a lifetime.