Sesame Street Live teaches kids to take good care of themselves

Abby Cadabby, left, and Big Bird are two of the Sesame Street favorites who are featured in the show.

What does it take to make every day a “Sunny Day” at Sesame Street Live? About a year of “imagination, cooperation, hard work and a sense of fun,” answers Clara Rusch, the director of production for Sesame Street Live’s “Elmo’s Healthy Heroes” coming to the Santa Ana Star Center.

There’s a reason the Sesame Street Live show is called “a Broadway-style production,” Rusch said, adding it’s because each tour is a multimillion-dollar production with Broadwaycaliber scripts, music, set design and construction, lighting and costumes.

It takes about nine months to a year to produce a show that lasts an hour to 90 minutes on stage, Rusch said.

“It’s because we want to get it just right, and it takes a lot of time to go from an idea or a concept and then to have it go through an extensive recording, editing and approval process,” she said.

Then you’re ready for a month of rehearsals before hitting the road.

“Usually the hard work all pays off, but there’s always a little nail biting whenever we have an invited dress rehearsal before a live audience,” Rusch said.

Most of the time, Elmo, Zoe, Abby Cadabby, Telly Monster and Zoe’s pet rock Rocco satisfy an audience of little people and their parents just fine, Rusch added.

“Making sure that the show is fun and entertaining for adults is something the TV show has done well, and now the tour is doing it very well too,” she said.

“Elmo’s Healthy Heroes” is about Super Grover losing his superness, and suddenly, Sesame Street needs a new hero.

The script is written so that it’s not only funny, but it also teaches lessons of healthy habits through songs and dance.

Elmo, Abby Cadabby and your favorite Sesame Street friends will explore exercise, learn about nutrition, sleep, energy and hygiene, all while his friends try to put the super back into Super Grover, Rusch said.

The show teaches a valuable lesson: “Anybody can be a superhero if you take good care of yourself.”

Cookie Monster learns that cookies are a “sometimes” food, while the characters also teach that getting a lot of exercise and getting a good night’s sleep is important.

“Our goals are to present these life’s lessons in a softer way, and to entertain not only the kids but the adults as well,” she said.

The characters are not only fun, but well drawn, conveying a balance and energy that guarantees a good show.

Check out this new character: Telly, an emotional, fussy, fuchsia-colored creature, and a worrywart who looks at life from every angle. Telly loves triangles.

Any great Broadway musical has music, and this one does too, with an array of songs that includes “Old McDonald,” “Splish Splash,” “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” and “Sunny Days.”

Adults will like the high-tech stagecraft and well-written scripts, Rusch said, as well as the music and choreography.

Rusch said her 19-month-old son is liking songs she liked when she was a little fan of Sesame Street Live.

“He does like the TV show, and he likes the Live Show a little too much because he likes to run up on stage, or run up as well as a 19-month-old little boy can run,” she said.

“He gets a little frustrated when I have to run up after him and get him off stage.