Elmo brings ‘green thumb’ to SeaGate Centre
Written by Brandon Wray | | news@toledofreepress.comThe “rock star” of children’s entertainment is coming to Toledo. Sesame Street’s Elmo will bring his touring show “Sesame Street Live: Elmo’s Green Thumb” to the SeaGate, Convention Centre in Downtown Toledo starting Nov. 14.
The show is new this season but, “Sesame Street Live” is in its 28th year of production, according to Clara Rusch, director of production for VEE Corporation, of Minneapolis, which produces the shows for “Sesame Street.”
The plot this year is that Elmo needs to replant his sunflower, Sunny, because she has outgrown her flowerpot. He wants to plant her in Big Bird’s garden, but that’s when the trouble starts, Rusch said. His friend Abby Cadabby, a fairy-in-training, miscasts a spell that shrinks Elmo and his buddies instead of making Sunny grow.
The friends see the world from a new angle and learn a lot about the environment, overcoming their fears and “going green.”
Abby Powers, performance director, said the show “does not get on a soapbox” but offers entertainment with education that is not controversial about the value of protecting the environment.
“We let Big Bird and Bert and Ernie tell kids about it, and they totally get it,” Powers said.
’Sesame Street’ has always kept up with the times, talking about healthy habits, such as exercise. They have an amazing way of putting the message out there but making it fun.”
Powers said the shrunken Elmo and friends see what trash does to the garden and how that forces bugs and beetles to have to move it around.
Rusch said she and her staff work closely with “Sesame Street’s” writers to create a show that is age-appropriate and consistent with the TV show. About 15 familiar Muppets appear in the show and all of the voices are prerecorded to match what the children expect to hear.
Rusch said writing and preproduction of a show takes about a year. Once written, a cast is hired, and they practice in Minneapolis for three months before hitting the road in August to tour for most of the school year. The staff has breaks for the holidays and stays off to tour their various cities during the week. Each show runs about three years, and there are several tours at once.
Powers, who has the job of running the show once it is on the road, said it is a great opportunity for cast members to see the country and develop close friendships.
“You get to see other cultures. We have some kids who have never been out of Florida or from other parts of the country who have never seen the ocean,” she said.
The company has a high retention rate with members coming back for several seasons, Powers said.
It is a good gig for young performers and a good workout, as they perform sometimes three shows a day. For many, it is their first job out of high school or college, Rusch said.
Traveling together for nearly nine months means cast members get very close and learn to rely on each other. It also means Powers has “many different hats” to wear, in addition to dealing with actually directing the show.
“I am a friend, a cheerleader, a best friend, a mom or dad. I play a lot of different roles,” said Powers, who worked as a performer with “Sesame Street” for several seasons and recently returned as performance director.
But the cast members learn the show is not really about them and their fun on the road; it is all about bringing joy to the children who know these characters like their own family members, Powers said.
“The kids scream the characters’ names. You really have to see it the first time Elmo appears on stage. We provide 90 minutes of smiles and laughter,” she said. “It is a rock star kind of reaction when Elmo comes out on stage. Kids love him because it is kind of like watching themselves.”
Powers said the show is fun but gets a powerful message across: “It inspires people to do something.”
The show also provides work for locals. In each city, it hires about 10 local stage crew members to help with the arduous tasks of setting everything up and making it run smoothly, according to Rusch and SeaGate Executive Director Steve Miller. SeaGate also has additional ushers and maintenance to help with a show of this magnitude, so “it really has some benefit for Toledo as well,” he said.
Tickets are selling well but are still available, Miller said. There are eight shows at various times in the morning, afternoon and evening Nov. 13 through 16. Tickets range from $14 to $24. There is a discount on opening night. For show times and tickets, contact the SeaGate box office at (419) 321-5007.
