Eager toddlers waddled hand-in-hand with parents and grandparents into the State Farm Center on Tuesday night, ready to see their favorite children’s show come to life on stage.
“Sesame Street Live!” offered an engaging show that had audience members of all ages singing, dancing and clapping along throughout the performance.
The show started with two friends from “Sesame Street” introducing the show and getting everyone excited for the next 90 minutes.
Two quick games of “Simon Says” and “Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes” helped the younger crowd members get their wiggles out before everyone’s favorite characters appeared.
“I’m here with my three kids, Mason, Stella and Noah,” said Miranda Drollinger, a local audience member. “Our favorite part has been the dancing and music.”
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Before Elmo made his way to the scene, his puppy Tango entered from stage left. Tango communicated solely through barks and yips, but her energy was contagious as the audience welcomed her in with cheers.
Tango danced her way through a song about hide and seek, alluding to the central plot that would be introduced just a few songs later.
Household favorite “Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?” started “Sesame Street Live!” with a bang, led by Elmo, Grover and Abby Cadabby, clad in life-size costumes of the characters.
The trio of “Sesame Street” friends helped the crowd warm up with a lighthearted number of introductions. Grover even chimed in, letting everyone know he “could hardly contain his fuzzy excitement.”
After some initial song and dance, a problem became apparent: Tango was missing. The performers enlisted the audience’s help to look out for Tango, asking younger audience members to yell “Hello Tango” if she ever appeared on stage.
The “Sesame Street” squad, joined by Big Bird, then ventured to their first stop where Tango may have been: the community center. There, they met Oscar the Grouch, who led a song and dance about his love for trash.
Cookie Monster made his debut with donations to the food drive at the community center, ready with armfuls of empty boxes. After a friendly scolding from his friends for eating all the cookies, he broke into the classic song “‘C’ is for Cookie.”
Audience members cheered at the familiar tune, readily welcoming Rosita for the bilingual tune of “Everybody Say Hola.”
The group’s final stop before intermission was at the pet shop, where they thought Tango may have run off. Alas, all of the puppy treats were missing.
Following the trail of crumbs in hopes of reuniting Elmo with his beloved pet, they ran into Cookie Monster, who admitted to taking the treats in hopes of Tango following the trail to him.
Mom and community member Morgan Mullady brought her whole family to the show after growing up on “Sesame Street” herself.
“It’s been pretty similar so far,” Mullady said. “(My kids) are pretty immersed in it. My oldest, Miller, loves the show. He’s pretty familiar with all the characters.”
The show’s second half was shorter than the first, with just a few more songs left before the finale. The second act kicked off with the performers pointing out four paw prints scattered across the stage.
At the sound of numbers, mathematician Count von Count emerged to lead a song about the wonder of the number four.
Keeping with the theme, Elmo then declared “H” as the letter of the day. He reminded the audience with a song that “H” was for “hello,” which everyone had to say if they saw Tango.
Big Bird had his solo moment, kicking off a song about cooperation, which led into the tune “Happy Dance,” regularly repeating the lyrics “happy happy dance dance.”
The group of friends finally found themselves at the dog park, where Tango was playing happily. They rejoiced, singing and dancing through an extended version of “Elmo’s Got the Moves” that featured all the cast members.
“Sesame Street Live!” was a colorful experience for all ages, earning itself a standing ovation and cheers after the finale. Needless to say, “Sesame Street” is still thriving and teaching the next generation.
