Richard Termine
A scene from “Elmo’s World.”
By ELIZABETH JENSEN
Published: September 13, 2012
ON a steamy June morning five 4-year-olds at a Harlem day care center lined up on the floor and focused intently on a tiny television set. Around them a half-dozen young women sat on miniature chairs and intensely monitored their every reaction. Were the children looking away? Smiling? Making a negative comment? Clapping?
Sesame Workshop
A scene from the new “Elmo the Musical.”
On the screen was the beloved Elmo of “Sesame Street,” playing a self-proclaimed “chef-explorer.” As he quizzed the Rhombus of Recipes for a dip to satisfy the Queen of Nacho Picchu, the kids chattered away until suddenly they started chanting along with a song: “We want guac, we want guac.” When Elmo counted 14 avocados, they counted along unprompted. When he added his three tablespoons of onions, and the dip whirled into a success, they cheered. As a final song played, they danced in place.