It won’t be long before you will have the opportunity to see the Tony-Award winning musical Avenue Q at the downtown Spreckels Theatre (June 30-Aug. 5). In promotion for the West Coast premiere of the show, you might have even seen the Avenue Q-Mobile cruising along the streets of San Diego. And trust me, if you did, you would remember this vehicle. It’s built from a 1986 Honda Accord and covered with orange, plastic-turfed fur similar to the furry puppets featured in the production. But if you haven’t seen it yet, you’ll have at least one more opportunity: the Q-Mobile will be featured in San Diego’s Pride parade on July 21.

Avenue Q is in its fifth year (off and on Broadway) with a London production and national tour catching applause on both continents. The show just wound up a successful run at the Wynn Casino in Las Vegas and there are plans for a film in the future.

The show has newly graduated Princeton relocating to the Big Apple to seek fame and fortune. His diminishing bank account limits his rental choices to the only neighborhood in his price range, Avenue Q. After signing the rental agreement, Princeton and his newfound neighbors look for their purpose in life.

I recently spoke with Jeff Marx, co-creator of Avenue Q.

Gay & Lesbian Times: When did you and Robert (Bobby) Lopez first come up with the original concept for Avenue Q?

Jeff Marx: It all began when Bobby and I met at a BMI [musical theater] workshop. We sat down and asked questions about why some people don’t like musicals and then tried to avoid those pitfalls. Our first project together was a spec Muppet movie, Kermit, Prince of Denmark, loosely based on Hamlet. It won us part – it was a tie – of the $150,000 Kleban Award, which helped us finance the design for the puppets used in Avenue Q.

GLT: I understand that the show was not originally Broadway bound.

JM: Bobby and I developed the original concept for a television show. But after we invited our first public audience to see the show, Kevin McCollum, who had successfully produced Rent on Broadway, asked our permission to produce our show. Bobby and I found it difficult to say no to his offer, so we accepted.

GLT: Although Avenue Q uses puppetry, the show stirs up adult issues like being gay, racism, homelessness and many more. Does the concept of using puppets take away some of the fear of these hot topics?

JM: Yes and no. Most of the feedback that we’ve received to date is that people like the way we treat real subjects in the show. Using puppets possibly gives us more leeway into tackling some of the issues head-on, like coming out of the closet, for instance. It’s been very special when family and the teaching community have come out strongly to praise the show and commend us in how we handled some very difficult topics.

GLT: You’ve been working with Universal Pictures on a concept for a new movie musical and have been working with the creators of “South Park” for a musical project as well. What stage are these projects in?

JM: The Universal project has been put to rest and the “South Park” project is currently on hold.

GLT: You seem to be drawn to puppetry and kid’s theatre. Any comments?

JM: I like projects that maintain a childlike innocence. I think the music and lyrics that I write reflect the issues that I’m interested in. Neither Bobby nor myself have a fetish for puppets, but we both have a love for playfulness.

GLT: You studied acting at the University of Michigan. Do you still have dreams of being an actor on the stage?

JM: No. After auditioning for shows in the past (college), I realized that acting wasn’t for me and that writing has so many advantages over doing eight live performances every week.

GLT: How has your life changed with the success of the show?

JM: I now have the security to do what I want. I even have the luxury of turning down lucrative project offers simply because they are not a good fit or because I lack the passion required for those assignments.

GLT: When do you get the right balance in a show and when do you draw the line that says the show is finished?

JM: That line is drawn on opening night. Many have said that opening-night musicals are not finished, just abandoned.

GLT: During all of the years of struggling to write the show, is there any collaborative moment that jumps out ahead of the others?

JM: I think it has to be the night when we did a reading of the script after writing about eight of the songs for the show. It was at the York Theatre on 59th Street, a church basement.

GLT: You are both a lyricist and a composer. What’s your preference?

JM: Both together.

GLT: Most of your success has been collaborative. Can you write solo?

JM: Yes, however, with that being said I recently moved to Los Angles and attended an ANMT (Academy of New Musical Theatre) workshop and found a new collaborative partner, Jake Anthony. We wrote a 15-minute musical that will be presented in June in L.A. with others from that same workshop. I may write something else with Jake as a result of the workshop.

GLT: Who do you admire as a composer and/or lyricist?

JM: Meredith Wilson (Music Man), Stephen Sondheim (Into the Woods, Sweeny Todd, Pacific Overtures), Lionel Bart (Oliver), and some new graduates, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul.

GLT: Did you ever have a job that wasn’t as a lyricist or composer?

JM: Lots of them, mostly as an intern, and I was fired from all of them. I guess I just like to be the boss.

GLT: You do hold a juris doctor degree from the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law? Do you ever plan on working in this field?

JM: No plans on working as an attorney; however, it does come in handy when you’re reading a contract, doing parody and getting a copyright.

GLT: You’ve written a book called How to Win a High School Election. What’s that all about?

JM: It’s a non-fiction book that I wrote quite a few years ago. I’ve sold about 15,000 copies to date, and, as the title suggests, it helps high school kids get elected.

GLT: You seem to have done it all and at the ripe age of 37. Any parting comments to the GLT community in San Diego?

JM: You’re going to love this show; just ask anyone who ever saw it. Don’t be put off by the puppets or the fact that it’s a musical. It has something for everyone; it’s really universal.

As one of those individuals that Jeff talks about who saw the show, I can say that no one who buys a ticket will be disappointed. I saw the show recently in New York and took along my 75-year-old mother for her first trip to a Broadway show, and we both loved it.

Others in the audience responded with cheers and sustained applause, and you will do the same after you see the show at the Spreckles Theatre playing June 30-Aug. 5.