In 1998 the classic United States children's television program Sesame Street was first introduced to Shanghai audiences as a 130-episode series titled Zhima Jie. Like Mickey Mouse, and Tom and Jerry, Sesame Street characters have become popular cartoon figures among Chinese children.

This summer the longest-running children's show in US history and an Emmy Awards winner, will be revived once more with Sesame Street Live: Elmo's Green Thumb, which will tour the country for six weeks.

In Elmo's Green Thumb, Elmo, one of the show's main characters, tries to find a new home for Sunny, a sunflower that has grown in his garden. He experiences a number of amazing adventures together with Big Bird, Abby Cadabby, Teddy Bear, and Bert and Ernie. They get lots of help from the busy bees, finicky ladybug and an ill-tempered beetle.

The stage show combines puppetry, Muppets, dancing and multimedia tools.

"Music, dance, meaningful stories and lessons are relevant and universal to every culture. Music and dance transcend the language barrier. Sesame Street Live provides all of those elements in a live setting to be shared by the entire family," says Dayna Deutsch, senior vice-president of sales and marketing of VEE Corporation, the production company of Sesame Street Live.

The show opened in 1980 and preserved most of the major characters and elements of the TV series.

According to Deutsch, one of the challenges in the Sesame Street Live performance is interacting with the audience. The life-sized Muppet costumes allow the characters to dance freely throughout the production.

The colorful sets of Sesame Street Live are designed to be large scale and efficient for touring.

The script is designed to engage children and families are encouraged to sing and dance along with the actors on stage.

"In most venues, if the physical space allows, the characters will come off the stage to dance and interact with the audience for selected songs. To see these characters up close is a thrill for our young audiences," Deutsch says.

The show will be presented in both Chinese and English. The English version will have Chinese subtitles. After Beijing, the show will visit another 12 cities including Shanghai, Shenzhen, Wuhan and Zhengzhou.

China Daily

(China Daily 07/26/2011 page19)