Playing with puppets
Jayden Russell Nonbinary actor Jayden Russell talks about their love for theater life MELISSA WHITLER | Contributing Writermelissa.whitler@verizon.net Avenue Q is far from your typical musical.
Nonbinary actor Jayden Russell describes the show as “an adult Sesame Street.” There was, they noted, always a random celebrity in each episode of the actual kid’s show.
And in the parody, opening Aug. 25 at Theater Arlington, the random celebrity is Gary Coleman — played by Russell. While you probably remember Coleman as the child actor who starred in Diff’rent Strokes, in the musical he is the washed-up superintendent of a building on Avenue Q.
Russell is especially excited about this role because it is their first time playing a specifically male character. They’ve had fun taking the source material on who Coleman was and playing around with his mannerisms When performing, Russell has found they don’t like to distance themselves completely from the character. “I like to keep some of myself, find a balance between my own intentions and thought processes and that of the character,” they explained, noting that this is especially true for pieces covering heavier subject matter.
