Playing a Slutty Puppet is Good Clean Fun for Lia Imbronone

When Lia Imbronone vamps as Lucy the Slut,
even Trekkie Monster (Jim Snideman) can't resist her charms.

Sometimes when I tell people that the Farmington Players are putting on Avenue Q, they ask, “Isn’t that like The Muppets?”  Um … not exactly.  While Rod and Nicky have been compared to Bert and Ernie, and there is a Trekkie Monster, when I mention the character Lucy the Slut, they begin to understand:  Avenue Q is a long, long way from Sesame Street.

Lucy the Slut has been described as “a skanky chanteuse who wows the guys, especially Princeton, with a seductive cabaret number.”  Our Lucy is played by the lovely Lia Imbronone. The 24 year-old currently works as a cosmetologist, forensics coach, and DJ, but she soon plans to move to New York City to pursue her “purpose” – a career in musical theatre.  Lia sees Lucy as “the epitome of sex appeal: when she walks into a room all the men fall in lust, and the women roll their eyes in judgment and jealousy. She’s the type of girl who will always win the affection, but can never win the love. A complete Marilyn, without even a drop of Jackie.” (To give you an idea of the power of Lucy’s sexuality, billboards and bus ads featuring the voluptuous puppet’s cleavage were banned in Colorado Springs because they were just too damned sexy!)

Lia enjoys playing Lucy because “I can completely get in touch with my sultry and sexy side while maintaining my dignity... after all, it’s LUCY talking, not me!”  She aptly compares Lucy to “a hybrid of Jessica Rabbit and Miss Piggy.” Lia wanted to be in Avenue Q because “this show is just hysterical.  It’s fun to see just how much puppets can get away with. I wanted to play a fun ‘character-y’ character, but I also wanted a challenge ... and this show is just perfect for that.” 

One of Lia’s biggest challenges has been learning the choreography: “I trip all over myself until I really get into rhythm, so adding a puppet on my arm has really been out of my comfort zone.”  She credits director Allison Boufford for all of her patience, saying, “It took a while to get into a rhythm but she let me get there on my own, never pressured me once. It can be difficult enough for me to take direction, and Lucy has a mind of her own! Trying to manipulate the body as well as the mouth can be exhausting on the arms, but practice ALWAYS makes perfect.”

Lia is making her debut at the Barn, and previous productions (roles) include Joseph & The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat (the Narrator), The Sound of Music (Sister Berthe), The Breakfast Club (Basketcase), Seussical (Sour Kangaroo), and RENT (Joanne).

Avenue Q opens Friday August 10 and runs through Saturday August 25.  Get your tickets at www.farmingtonplayers.org or by calling the Farmington Players box office at 248-553-2955.  Find us on Facebook under “Farmington Players.”