Sesame Street Live: Super Grover, Ready For Action!U.S. Cellular Center
May 15, 2007
Hey, I review ‘em as I see ‘em and concerts for Totale are a thing of the past for a while. So what the fuck: here’s a show that E wanted to check out, even though he didn’t know about it until we pulled up to the U.S. Cellular Center about thirty minutes before showtime.
If you’re kid-less or have no interest whatsoever in seeing a Sesame Street Live performance, all I can say is that I was like you at one time. But after you’re dragged kicking and screaming to your first Sesame Street event and can watch firsthand the sheer joy that it presents to every 2, 3, or 4 year old in attendance, then you don’t know what you’re missing.
Allow me to enlighten you.
First of all, the things aren’t as commercialized as you might think. Sure, there’s plenty of merchandizing available and sure, it’s somewhat pricey, but it’s nowhere near the ass-rape that you might expect or currently get at typical music concerts ($40 for a concert tee? Fuck you!). There’s plenty of shit for kids to get, but savvy and/or strict parents can find excuses to get around them.
One of the strangest things, aside from the audience make up, is the layout of the venue. Bleachers are pulled out to allow for better toddler viewing ability, and (seriously) retired women are placed at strategic points around the stage to prevent overly-amped kids from running up on stage to hug the larger-than-life Muppets. The only time I saw one of these security grandmothers was when a three year old boy tried to go backstage via a ground level curtain after the show was over.
The shows themselves consist of musical numbers around a pretty light story plot. The plot for this tour centered on Grover; his superhero persona had lost his superpowers and the rest of the Sesame Street Characters were enlisted to help find it. The plot left plenty of room for more familiar Sesame Street vignettes like Journey To Ernie and Elmo’s World. Incidentally, even though the show placed Grover on the marquee, it was clearly Elmo as the star of the show. Over half of the speaking roles and storylines involved that annoying red fucker. It makes sense: when Elmo first made an appearance on stage, you could hear a collective squeal from the two year olds. Since E is now approaching 4, he was more impressed with Grover’s physical comedy.
Sesame Street Live usually incorporates one overly positive and happy human, and for Ready For Action! it was a short woman in her late twenties/early thirties named Kay. Kay assumed many different roles and, for each one, she maintained a frightening smile that most kids didn’t notice. They were too enraptured by the life-size Muppets running around the stage.
Literally.
Muppets regularly make their way out into the crowd, typically a few seconds before they’re needed for the dance routine, backing vocals in the number or speaking role. This gives them a chance to shake the kids’ hands and do quick little poses for the digital camera (yes, cameras are allowed).
I noticed a few Mothers who took advantage of the beer at the concessions and, to be honest, completely understood the need for them to have a couple; most of them brought the kids (and it was typically more than one) to the show, and with as much extra-sensory activities going on, it was no wonder they needed a nip or two.
Halfway through the performance, the smell of fecal matter drifted up towards our section. An audience member had gotten too excited with the action on stage to take a potty break and for some reason their guardian did not notice the smell.
Maybe it was one of the kids with the beer drinking Mom.
The show features a fairly tepid light show, one in which the kids find totally mesmerizing. It’s quite a site to see a crowd full of toddlers looking up, slack jawed, at the different lighting effects while Ernie sings some bullshit about living on the moon.
The kids completely freak during the faster numbers, as most of the characters encourage audience participation. The kids, naturally, oblige by tearing ass towards the stage (but never managing to get past Grandma’s security team) before relinquishing their groove to the aisles and on top of their chairs. It’s fucking awesome to watch. E especially liked the character’s re-write of “I’m Holding Out For A Hero,” possibly because the original was included in one of the Shrek movies, which he’s seen a million times.
It was Elmo and three b-level monsters (Zoë, Telly, and Rosita) that ultimately come up with the answers that help Grover retrieve his super powers. By eating right, getting plenty of rest, exercising regularly practicing good hygiene, Grover discovers that he can tackle every day problems.
The kids didn’t give a shit; they just wanted to see their favorite characters in the “flesh.”
For 90 minutes (and that includes a 15 minute intermission) the less-than-half filled arena got a chance to see the “real” Muppets and, if E’s initial experience with Elmo’s Coloring Book from a year-and-a-half ago is any indication, they won’t forget the show. Since that time, he’s seen the Ringling Brothers’ and Barnum & Bailey Circus at the U.S. Cellular, Center, yet every time we drive by it, he yells “Hey! That’s where Sesame Street Live is!” It then takes some additional explaining that, no, we cannot stop to see them because, no, they are not inside. Fairly recently, he’s started to comprehend the idea that the show travels from town to town, like Santa Claus.
Like I mentioned before, it looked as though the crowd only managed to number less than half capacity, about the same number as before. This may be because the show (which is run by the Vee Company out of Minneapolis) is continually on the road (there are three separate story lines currently on tour) and they make frequent stops around the area.
E may have noticed this as he’s mentioned how he’d like to see Sesame Street “on the ice.”
And if it comes to town, I’ll probably agree to take him. Watching the smiles on those kids is better than a lot of concerts I’ve been to anyway.
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