The Sesame Street Live Muppets
A CTW Newsletter from 1980 announcing the success of Sesame Street Live.
New York City celebrates Sesame Street Live day.
- For the 1973 album, see Sesame Street LIVE!
Sesame Street Live! is the live touring show based on Sesame Street. Originally produced by Minneapolis-based VEE Corporation (later renamed "VStar Entertainment Group"), the show opened on September 17, 1980, with a production of A Sesame Street Mystery: The Case of the Missing Rara Avis playing at the Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota.
During VEE's tenure, Sesame Street Live was produced as several separate tours, each performing a different show, with its own plot, characters, scenery, and soundtrack. Shows were performed in arenas and theaters around the world, generally working on an eight to ten month touring schedule ending in the spring and resuming in the late summer. While in the United States, Sesame Street Live was a bus and truck show, with the equipment moving by two or three trucks and the personnel traveling by bus. (This is contrasted with a show that travels by rail, such as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.) Outside of the US, air cargo and sea containers were used. The show has been performed in Spanish under the name El Show de Barrio Sésamo, and in Portuguese as Rua Sésamo ao Vivo.
The shows feature original music scores and songs, including old favorites from the show, and professional dancers as costumed characters performing the parts of the Muppets. The productions are done in a theatrical style. In an arena, a stage is built and a false proscenium is created to make the experience more similar to going to a theater.
In 2009, Sesame Street Live launched its 100th tour.[1] The Mayor of Minneapolis proclaimed January 13, 2010 "Sesame Street Live Day," in honor of VEE's 30th anniversary. New York City made a temporary street renaming for the 30th anniversary of the tour on February 4, 2010 when the intersection of 31st Street and 8th Avenue was the site of a celebration of the touring production.
VEE's Sesame Street Live continued to tour until July 2017, after which Palmetto-based Feld Entertainment took over the license.[2] Their stage shows included an interactive pre-show experience, featuring a new puppet character, Maya Monster. In 2023, Feld and Sesame Workshop mutually decided to shut down the tour,[3] with their last show Make Your Magic holding its final performance on February 26.[4] In August, it was announced that Round Room Live would produce a new Sesame Street Live tour to launch in 2024.[5]
Show listing[]
- 1980 - A Sesame Street Mystery: The Case of the Missing Rara Avis
- 1981 - Big Bird's Super Spectacular Totally Amateur Show
- 1982 - Sesame Jamboree
- 1983 - Around the World
- 1985 - Save Our Street
- 1986 - Big Bird Goes Hollywood
- 1987 - Big Bird and the ABCs
- 1987 - Big Bird's Sesame Street Story
- 1989 - Silly Dancing
- 1990 - Sleeping Birdie
- 1990 - Let's Play School
- 1992 - Where's the Birdie? (remount of A Sesame Street Mystery)
- 1993 - When I Grow Up
- 1994 - Let's Be Friends
- 1996 - 1-2-3 Imagine!
- 1997 - Elmo's Coloring Book
- 1999 - Big Bird's Sunny Day Camp Out
- 2001 - Everyone Makes Music
- 2003 - Out of This World
- 2005 - Super Grover! Ready for Action
- 2006 - Elmo Makes Music (remount of Everyone Makes Music)
- 2007 - When Elmo Grows Up (remount of When I Grow Up)
- 2008 - Elmo! Ready for Action
- 2008 - Elmo's Green Thumb
- 2009 - 1-2-3 Imagine! with Elmo & Friends (remount of 1-2-3 Imagine!)
- 2010 - Elmo's Healthy Heroes! (remount of Super Grover! Ready for Action)
- 2012 - Can't Stop Singing
- 2013 - Make a New Friend
- 2014 - Let's Dance!
- 2017 - Let's Party!
- 2018 - Make Your Magic
- 2024 - Say Hello
There have also been "mini-shows," which have toured in Singapore in 1997 and 1999. The 1997 show was held in Centerpoint shopping complex and featured Big Bird, Elmo, Ernie and Bert. The 1999 show was held in Great World City mall and featured Elmo, Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert.
A scaled-down 45-minute version of the show Let's Party!, titled C is for Celebration!, toured starting in 2018.
1982
1983
1985
1989
1990
1993
1994
1996
2006
Merchandise[]
see also: Category:Sesame Street Live Merchandise
See also[]
Sources[]
- ↑ Bobby Tanzilo, ""Sesame Street Live" celebrates 100 with "1-2-3"", OnMilwaukee, Nov. 26, 2009.
- ↑ Feld Entertainment Press Release, November 17, 2016
- ↑ E-mail correspondence with Sabrina Lowe via Jon Brangwynne
- ↑ sesamestreetlive.com — Schedule & Tickets (archived)
- ↑ Shore Fire Media "Round Room Live and Sesame Workshop Announce Partnership to Bring New Sesame Street Live Tour Across U.S. and Canada," August 30, 2023