ALREADY a smash hit on Broadway and in the West End, the Tony Award-winning comedy musical Avenue Q will bring a host of fuzzy friends to the Grand Opera House, York, in September as part of a nationwide tour.

Presented by Sell A Door Theatre Company and Richard Darbourne Ltd, the show features “the naughtiest puppets in town”, brought to life by an ensemble cast of 11 performers in a story of growing up, dreaming big and finding your purpose in life.

Meet Princeton, a bright-eyed graduate who comes to New York City with big dreams and a tiny bank account. Soon discovering that the only neighbourhood in his price range is Avenue Q, he finds himself moving in with some truly quirky characters.

Step forward Brian, the out-of-work comedian, and his therapist fiancée, Christmas Eve; Nicky, the good-hearted slacker, and his closet gay Republican room-mate, Rod; Internet “sexpert” Trekkie Monster and a very cute kindergarten teacher named Kate Monster.

Avenue Q, a musical with a warm and fuzzy heart, first opened Off-Broadway at the Vineyard Theatre, New York, in 2003, before moving on to Broadway later that year, where it won three Tony Awards for Best Musical, Best Score and Best Book. In 2006, it transferred to the West End in a Cameron Mackintosh production that ran for five years and the show has since toured Britain, as well as being staged in more than ten countries all over the world.

The musical was co-created by the Tony, Grammy and Emmy Award-winning Robert Lopez, who also co-created the Broadway and West End musical The Book Of Mormon. In collaboration with his wife, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Lopez also co-wrote the songs for Disney’s animated feature Frozen and his television work has included Scrubs, The Simpsons and South Park.

Avenue Q has a book by Jeff Whitty and music and lyrics by Robert Lopez and Jeff Marx and it features such humorous songs as The Internet Is For Porn and Everyone’s A Little Bit Racist. The show is directed and choreographed by Cressida Carré, with set design by Richard Evans, lighting design by Charlie Morgan Jones and sound design by Chris Bogg and DBS Solutions. Orchestrations and arrangements are by Stephen Oremus and the puppets are designed by Paul Jomain for Q Puppets.

Producers Sell A Door Theatre Company first presented this new production in a six-month tour in 2014.

Formed in 2007, Sell A Door creates touring productions aimed at engaging young adults in live theatre through such productions as the forthcoming British tour of Alan Bennett’s The History Boys, Seussical in the West End and the debut UK tour of Spring Awakening. Their co-producer, Richard Darbourne, has overseen a British tour of Pride And Prejudice and the 25th anniversary tour of Return To The Forbidden Planet.

Casting is yet to be announced but the York run is confirmed for September 15 to 19 with 7.30pm performances, Monday to Thursday, 5pm and 8.30pm shows on the Friday and 2.30pm and 7.30pm performances on the last day. Tickets cost £15 to £29.50 on 0844 871 3024 or at atgtickets.com/york