ParentGuide® Spotlight Interview
In the Sesame Street Live show, When Elmo Grows Up, the audience is introduced to Sesame Street’s newest resident, Abby Cadabby, a fairy-in-training who has frequent mishaps with her attempts at magic. Ruth Eckerd Hall October 12-14, 2008.
In an exclusive ParentGuide® Spotlight interview, we spoke with Rachel Cori, the actress who plays Abby Cadabby in the traveling stage show.
That’s So Magic!
By Pamela Settle
TM/(c) 2008 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of VEE Corporation.
Sesame Street has added several new characters over the years including females Zoe, Prairie Dawn, Rosita and most recently, Abby Cadabby, a twinkling pink fairy-in-training with purple pig tails, wings and a magic wand that doesn’t seem to cooperate. Abby looks up to her mother and would love nothing more than to be a fairy godmother just like her. But first, she has to learn how to do magic without turning everyone into pumpkins. She loves her friends and in return they love her “never-give-up” spirit that inspires her signature exclamation, “That’s So Magic!”
Most 3-year-olds don’t know what they want to be when they grow up, but Abby Cadabby is definitely sure that being a fairy godmother is right for her, and she won’t let anything stop her from achieving that goal.
So it’s an interesting coincidence that Rachel Cori is spending her days in an Abby Cadabby costume. At the same wise-old age of 3, Rachel knew without a doubt that she wanted to be a song and dance performer and worked hard her whole life to make that dream a reality. Performing in musical theater in New York, Rachel has had roles in “A Chorus Line,” “Annie,” “Pippin” and “Pippi Longstonging” before joining Sesame Street Live.
“This kind of full costume work is very different because it’s not me on stage, it’s Abby. For believability, it’s important that the children see and hear the character they watch on television,” said Cori.
“It’s also different because of the audience reaction. Adult audiences are looking at technique, but children react with screams and laughter. They are shouting your name and having so much fun that the performers have fun right along with them,” she added.
In the show, “Elmo Grows Up,” many of the popular Sesame Street characters are preparing for a pageant that is about what they want to be when they grow up. While others have pretty clear directions for their young ages, Elmo remains undecided and eventually learns that it’s also important to be a kid and have fun.
TM/(c) 2008 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of VEE Corporation.
With the help of her family, Rachel has been able to combine childhood fun with her performing, as her best early memories are linked to theater. “My parents have always encouraged me to do what I want to do no matter what, to keep pushing and never give up.
“I love what I’m doing now. I grew up a Sesame Street girl and so being a performer in this show is very special to me,” said Cori.
Her experience is also special to her families in Florida and New York, who provide Rachel with a stable home life when she is not on the road. Her mother and grandmother are her biggest fans, telling everyone they meet about Rachel and the show.
TM/(c) 2008 Sesame Workshop. All Rights Reserved. Photographs courtesy of VEE Corporation.
“That stability and support from my family is so important to me,” added Cori. So not only does Rachel have a great family, but she also has a job she loves that is about making children happy. “After the show, I can look out in the audience and see their smiles and feel the excitement, and it makes me love the entire experience even more because I know, at that moment, that I did a great job.”
That’s so magic!
Come see the new Sesame Street production, “Elmo Grows Up,” at Ruth Eckerd Hall October 10-12! For tickets, call 727-791-7400 today.
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