The folks who created “Sesame Street” have been entertaining and educating children for over 30 years. Whether it’s the television show, the toys, the books, or the stage production, these guys know how to attract the attention of little kids.

The fact that people who grew up with the show are now watching it with their own children (or grandchildren in some cases) only makes the accomplishments of the late Jim Henson and his cohorts more impressive. “Sesame Street” is not just a television show, it’s an industry.

Of course, the franchise has had to adapt with the times to accommodate the ever-changing habits of television viewers. It once stood by itself as the undisputed “King of the Kid’s Shows,” but over the years the playing field has become crowded with cable channels like Nick Jr. and Disney.

But “Sesame Street” has survived attempted coups by purple dinosaurs and little blue dogs, idiotic rumors about the relationships between certain characters, and PBS budget cuts to remain one of the most popular educational television shows ever.

As an introduction to the world of live theatre, “Sesame Street Live: Let’s Be Friends” is ideal. It’s loud and flashy and designed to follow the basic set-up of the series. It’s a typical day on “Sesame Street” and one by one, all of the favorite characters take the stage.

And boy, do the kids love these guys! Even though the actors are buried beneath a mountain of fur in their bigger-than-life costumes, it must be a real thrill for them to be greeted with the same reception usually reserved for rock stars.

After a high-energy opening number featuring most of the characters (the versatile group of dancers play multiple parts throughout the performance), the concept comes into place: Elmo and his friend Zoe are going to start a “Friendship Club,” and this being “Sesame Street,” everyone is included.

One of the biggest virtues of the television series has been its messages of friendship, kindness and racial harmony. This live version shares these themes, but without hitting the kids over the head with them.

The show is performed to a pre-recorded sound track, but that really doesn’t detract from the energy at all. I’m sure the costumes must be hot and cumbersome, but the dancers execute their high kicks and jitterbugs with the athleticism of an aerobics instructor.

Since they can’t speak or show their faces, they must create characters with just their body language, and they all do a super job at conveying their emotions to the audience.

My children enjoyed the “Night Bug Boogie,” starring zoot-suited, swing-dancing bugs and the “Dancing Shoes” segment in Act 2 featuring a number of songs that mom, dad and grandparents could enjoy.

The costumes and sets are appropriately colorful and vibrant and accentuated with enough chaser lights to illuminate the Christmas tree at Rockefeller Center! They’ve also added confetti cannons and a black-light sequence to make this an exciting theatrical experience for the little ones.

The lighting was very good, especially considering that they had to rig everything up for this production. The Prairie Capital Convention Center doesn’t feature a traditional stage, but you’d never know it from the professional way they put the playing space together.

The only problem I had with the technical aspect of the show was understanding the lyrics during the musical numbers. The famous voices were all very clear when they were speaking, but the sound was a bit muddy whenever the music started. Or perhaps I had a hard time hearing because the audience was (appropriately) very vocal in showing their appreciation.

In a show like this, audience participation is heartily encouraged. This is smart because when your primary crowd is pre-school age or younger, you’re going to have audience participation whether you plan for it or not!

The ticket prices are pretty reasonable for a show of this nature, although they do make up for that with the “must-have” merchandising which includes Elmo flashlights, dolls, necklaces, etc. One note about the flashlights.....the batteries in ours died before we even got home.

Oh, and the balloons. Why on earth do they come out at intermission selling balloons, only to instruct the kids to immediately put them under their chairs at the beginning of Act 2? You try to tell a three year old that they can’t have the balloon you’ve just purchased. Easier said than done. The show was produced by the VEE Entertainment Corporation, a veteran of these “Live” shows. As usual, they provided a quality production.

"Sesame Street Live: Let’s Be Friends" continues today at 1:00 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the Prairie Capital Convention Center. Call 788-8814 or 544-9400 for tickets.

_____________________________ Gus Gordon is the chief meteorologist at NewsChannel 20 and a free lance arts reviewer. He can be reached at gusgordon00@lycos.com