SESAME STREET PLAY: WARM, BUT LENGTHY

“Save Our Street” is a bona fide musical spectacular aimed at kids. At almost two hours, however, the new Sesame Street Live stage presentation, which made a tour stop recently at the Long Beach Convention and Entertainment Center, is too long for most of its preschool audience.

Written by David Connell and Jim Thurman, the show has a plot. But its main attraction is the in-person appearance of old television friends, from Big Bird and Mr. Snuffalupagus to Cookie Monster.

There’s no incongruity in the jump from puppet to costumed performers under Diane Arnold’s direction (she also did the jaunty choreography). Talented dancers in costume bring the characters to life; on tape, familiar voices--including that of Muppet creator Jim Henson--supply dialogue and pleasantly upbeat, mostly unmemorable songs.

Grover break-dances, Cookie Monster recites Shakespeare (“Friends, Romans and Countrymen, where are your cupcakes?”), and the whole Sesame Street cast--Bert and Ernie, Prairie Dawn, the Count and more--roller-skates, bops and boogies as myriad lights flash and flicker.

The plot revolves around Mr. Meanie’s threat to tear down Sesame Street and put up a parking lot. All the Sesame Street citizens but Oscar go on an outing, Mr. Meanie calls an election and Oscar, an uninformed citizen, votes for the demolition of Sesame Street.

The action jumps to various locations, including a country fair, a mildly scary haunted house and Mr. Meanie’s hide-out.

Some of the many musical numbers could easily be cut in the interest of time. It wasn’t surprising during one longish interlude away from the familiar neighborhood to hear a child ask fretfully, “But where is Sesame Street?”

However, the VEE Corp. Production, presented in cooperation with the Children’s Television Workshop, stays true to the Sesame Street themes of education, caring and sharing.

It’s plain from the reaction of young audience members how much like real friends the Sesame Street characters are. Big Bird gets the warmest audience tribute, just for being Big Bird, the 8-foot-tall feathered representative of all those who are constantly being told they’re too small or too young, needing reassurance in a mystifying world.

There is a happy ending, with the audience playing an important part in bringing it about. It should just come a bit sooner. Fatigue, hunger and thirst take a toll on youthful spirits.