Last month I had the opportunity to realize a childhood dream. As a tot, Sesame Street was part of my daily routine, and I remember anxiously waiting for my mother’s soap opera to end so I could change the channel and watch my favourite characters on screen. As I got older and started school, it was still a weekend or afterschool favourite. Truth be told, I watched Sesame Street well into my teens – a little older than their target demographic. All those years, I so badly wanted to see them live and I was finally able to do so at the age of 33.
With my family in tow, we headed out to Abbotsford for the opening show of Sesame Street Live – Let’s Dance! This Broadway quality production had a stunning set, and music meant to sing along and dance to with old faves like ‘The Alphabet Song’ and a hip hop twist to ‘C is For Cookie’. And the costumes, oh the costumes! The fur, the feathers, the movement that brought them to life had me in awe, and the fur was even softer than it looked.
Let’s Dance! was filled with interactive fun as we journeyed along with Bert and the gang in their efforts to teach Bert to dance. As a lifelong fan I fully expected him to bust out ‘The Pigeon’… I was even ready to do it myself! But there were plenty of opportunities for me, I mean my children, to move and groove. Led by two energetic hosts, we sang some classics like ‘Itsy Bitsy Spider’, danced the robot to ‘Mr. Roboto’ in Elmo’s imagination, and sang ‘Wheels on the Bus’ on the way to dance school. “Wheels on the Bus’ really got my son Breton moving, and once he started, he wouldn’t stop! But Bert, well, he was not yet convinced.
Throughout the entire show the audience was engaged and encouraged to sing, clap and dance along (though encouragement was rarely needed). The characters also took turns spending some time dancing on the floor with the kids which was obviously a hit with the children.
In the end, Bert found his groove! With the release of the confetti canon it was hard to believe our dance party was already finished.
With high-fives from Baby Bear and Telly, and Amelia’s hug from Grover, their day was just about made. All they needed now was a souvenir! The merchandise kiosks held a variety of goods from shirts and hats to plush toys and pennants all very reasonably priced. I wish there were T-shirts in larger sizes, but I guess I didn’t really NEED an Abby Cadabby shirt.
Given the chance, I would absolutely bring my kids again as an excuse to enjoy some family friendly theatre and indulge the child in me. It was truly fun for all ages. The priceless looks on the faces of the children in the audience as they saw their favourite characters in the flesh…er, fur and feathers, was totally worth our early morning drive.
Sesame Street Live – Let’s Dance! is still on tour in select cities, and hopefully will return next year with another dance party! To check for tickets in your area, visit sesamestreetlive.com
(Disclosure: We were provided with complimentary passes to this event in exchange for promotion and review, all opinions expressed as our own)
