Introducing Abby Cadabby! The newest Muppet on Sesame Street joins Elmo, Zoe, Rosita and all of her furry and feathered friends in asking, 'What do you want to be when you grow up?' as they prepare for a pageant on Sesame Street. Get ready to sing cowboy songs, ride the rails and more with Sesame Street Live "When Elmo Grows Up." When Elmo and his Sesame Street Live friends think about growing up, it's a musical show-and-tell! as Bert dreams of becoming a forest ranger, Telly longs to be a cowboy and their newest friend, Abby Cadabby, wants to be a Fairy Godmother just like her mommy. Elmo thinks about becoming a 'weather monster,' but has a hard time predicting his own forecast-he wants to be anything and everything all at once! "When Elmo Grows Up" includes lessons on perseverance, teamwork and the power of imagination. Children learn that if they believe in themselves and are willing to try, the possibilities are endless.
Adults will hear music they'll recognize and enjoy sharing with children, such as "Home on the Range," "Down on the Corner" and "Give a Little Love." "When Elmo Grows Up " features nearly two dozen songs, including classics that children will love to sing along with such as "I Love Trash" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider."
The show started at 10:30am, and we wanted to get their in plenty of time in case there was traffic or any other delays. We got to the Neal Blaisdell Center at about 9:30am and lucked out and found street parking. Since it was a Sunday, we didn't have to feed the parking meter (otherwise parking is $3.00 on premises according to the Neal Blaisdell website).
We had a little ways to walk, so by the time we picked up our tickets in Will Call and found our seats, it was about 10:00am. We had great seats--right in the middle of the concert hall.
There are a limited number of booster seats available (you need to leave your ID), but we ended up not needing them and fortunately no one sat in front of us, although I'm not sure if the boys' view would've been impeded if someone did sit in front of us since the seats were staggered pretty well.
People started trickling in, and we saw a lot of kids with Elmo apparel (DS2 wore a cute hand-me-down Elmo shirt) and accessories, along with cool toys bought at the booths in the lobby. While we waited for the show to start we took a few pictures of the boys (cameras are allowed, but audio and video recording is prohibited).
At about 10:15 Big Bird's voice was heard over the speakers, announcing that the show would be starting soon. Shortly thereafter, Big bird gave a 3-minute warning before the show was to start. Exactly 3 minutes later, the lights started to dim (the show started just 5 minutes late at 10:35 am) and out popped Big Bird and Elmo to start the show!
At first, both my boys were initially shocked and puzzled to see Big Bird and Elmo in person.
Then as more and more of the Muppets came out, the boys, and all the other kids in the hall, started screaming excitedly... "Ernie!" "Cookie Monster!" "Abby!"
I thought the production was appealing to both kids and adults. The live Sesame Street characters, the song and dance numbers, the audience participation, the sets, the magic (yes, magic too!) all resulted in "oohs" and "ahs," and lots of applause and laughter. 
Adults will appreciate the lessons taught throughout the show, as well as the many songs they consider childhood favorites. I enjoyed how the show created appropriate lyrics to familiar pop songs, such as Vanessa Carlton's A Thousand Miles, into the show, and I also thought the Stomp-style performance was pretty cool.
The entire show is 90 minutes long with a 15 minute break halfway through.
At the intermission, vendors came into the hall with huge bundles of Elmo mylar balloons. It was quite a sight to see all of the balloons, and the entire hall went "Wow!" Each balloon cost $10, which I thought was pricey, so we didn't buy any. I thought it was nice how Big Bird announced to those who bought balloons to put them under their seats so other guests' views wouldn't be obstructed.
My favorite part of the show was right after the intermission, when Elmo's World started. As soon as the Elmo's World's theme song started playing, everyone got excited. It was so neat to see it being acted out live, and it was fun to see Mr. Noodle (I thought they could've done a better job with finding or costuming a Mr. Noodle that more closely resembled the Mr. Noodle on Sesame Street, but I think to the kids it may not have mattered), and even Computer telling Elmo he has mail!
DS1's favorite part of When Elmo Grows Up featured Roxie Marie, who wanted to be a train engineer, and a super cool-looking train. The Sesame Street gang sang I've Been Working on the Railroad, which is one of DS1's favorite songs, so he sang along.
DS2's favorite part of the show was when the gang was in the forest and sang Itsy Bitsy Spider--as everyone sang, DS2 would do Itsy Bitsy Spider hand motions. 
Although there were a few parts my boys started to seem to get disinterested--primarily when slow songs would be sung, and Little Music Man did get scared when confetti and streamers burst throughout the hall at the end, overall we all had a really great time at Sesame Street Live, and I could tell just about everyone else in attendance did too. 
The show seemed to be just the right length, because when we got into the car, DS2 fell asleep on the way home.
Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up combined the lovable Sesame Street Characters with super fun songs, lively dancing, amazing sets, and important lessons into a really nice story that our entire family enjoyed!
Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up continues through June 20, 2010 at the Neal Blaisdell Center. Visit Sesame Street Live: When Elmo Grows Up for more information on tickets or to find a show near you!
hmmm. wonder why there was so little publicity about this event. 1st time hearing about it. Nice pics of the boys!
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