Corridor Buzz - The Premier Source of Arts & Entertainment News and Information for the Cedar Rapids/Iowa City Corridor

Muppets to make music in Cedar Rapids

If you’re a parent looking to introduce your young child to the theatergoing experience, here’s a good opportunity.

“We don’t ask them to be quiet and sit perfectly still,” says Jennie Rose, a publicist for the Sesame Street Live “Elmo Makes Music” show at the U.S. Cellular Center Tuesday and Wednesday. “We ask them to get up and sing.”

A Broadway-style musical, “Elmo Makes Music” tells the story of Jenny, a music teacher who arrives on Sesame Street only to discover that her truckload of instruments hasn’t arrived. But her new Muppet friends come to the rescue and discover how to make music with everyday objects like rubber ducks, trash can lids, and cookie jars.

Rose says children today remain as interested in Sesame Street as they were more than 30 years ago.

“The show’s got some sort of staying power, and I think it has a lot to do with the characters,” she says. “There’s a character for everyone out there. They’re fun, they’re quirky, they have little nuances. Oscar’s grouchy, Elmo’s inquisitive, Cookie Monster loves cookies, so I think kids can relate to them pretty well.”

Adults will enjoy the show’s high-tech stagecraft, clever script and musical numbers, Rose says, while children will take home a message about acceptance, friendship and working together.

“But they’re having so much fun singing and dancing and laughing with the characters that they don’t even realize that they’re learning,” she says.

Sesame Street Live’s “Elmo Makes Music” will be performed at the U.S. Cellular Center, 370 First Ave. NE, Cedar Rapids, at 7 p.m. Tuesday and 10:30 a.m. and 7 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets, ranging from $12,75 to $25.75, are available by calling (319) 362-1888 or may be purchased online.