I feel sorry for actors in Puppet Suits...

On Friday Jackie and I took Nolan and Ava to see Elmo Live. It was as fun as watching poor actors in puppet suits can be. I really felt sorry for them. First of all, how do their mouths move to the music? They are using their hands and feet to dance, but I couldn't figure out their flapping mouths. Second of all, it must be HELLA hot in those costumes. Can you imagine being on stage, under the lights in a full-on Grover costume? What that dressing room must smell like when the show is over...whew! Third, they don't get hardly any applause. Over half of the audience is under the age of 8 and the rest are parents trying to keep their kids from running down the aisles while trying to get a picture! So, there is the big TADA moment (jazz hands included) and it was like applause at bad dinner theatre...such sweaty work for little or no reward. I guess the actors know all this going into this kind of theatre.

Despite all that, the babies loved it! Nolan sat in my lap with his jaw completely open and occasionally he would point at the stage and say MeeMo!! MeeMo!! I did get a little choked up when they sang the Sesame Street theme song. 'Let me tell you how to get...how to get to Sesame Street!' I knew all the words having grown up on Sesame Street (pre-Elmo & Abby Cadabby mind you) and there I was singing it to my son. I don't know, it was a little surreal and sweet and sad all at the same time.

After an hour and a half, Jackie and I had had enough of mouth flapping fuzzy dancing Sesame Street and left. It was noon and the babies were on a short fuze for some food and a nap. We passed another mom skipping out early and she said to us 'there is only so much Elmo you can take.' EXACTLY. Nolan and Ava could care less if they saw the end of the show, but I'll tell ya they were about to be really pissed off if we didn't feed them soon. So we hit the diner across the street just in time to sit down before every other Elmo fan came in. After lunch, we hit the road. The babies were asleep before we were out of the parking lot, which wasn't long since we missed the post show traffic by going to lunch. Elmo wore them out.