Elmo was at the Somerville Theatre on Wednesday night.
The real Elmo.
Kevin Clash, puppeteer and voice of the beloved "Sesame Street" character, appeared at the Somerville Theatre for the opening night kickoff event of the Independent Film Festival Boston (IFFB). Clash was there to present "Being Elmo: A Puppeteer's Journey," the festival's opening film, along with Constance Marks, the film's director.
Clash, who has provided the voice of Elmo for nearly three decades, brought the little red guy with him and after the film held an hour−long Q−and−A, half as himself, half as Elmo.
The film itself, though fairly short, is nothing short of a triumph. Marks presents a compelling, touching portrait of a role model, innovator and all−around great guy in Clash.
Clash followed his dream of being a puppeteer from childhood, when he first started making puppets and performing in his neighborhood, through adulthood, eventually landing his gig on "Sesame Street." Along the way he also worked on a number of seminal TV shows and films, from "The Great Space Coaster" (1981−86) and "Dinosaurs" (1991−95) to the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies and "Labyrinth" (1986).
During the Q−and−A, Clash thrilled the audience with a myriad of voices and shared behind−the−scenes anecdotes from his impressive career.
And then he brought Elmo out.
With the Elmo puppet on his arm, Clash effectively disappeared. He was polite and somewhat soft−spoken as himself, but as Elmo, Clash was, well, Elmo. The transformation was immediate and stunning, and it was surprisingly normal to see the puppet move around and talk, all while suspended from Clash's arm, with the puppeteer in full view, moving his own mouth to speak as Elmo.
The film leaves no doubt that Clash is passionate and has a genius for puppetry, but his effortless performance post−screening drove the point home.
Wednesday night's screening of "Being Elmo" is the only one of the festival, but the filmmakers hinted that within a few weeks, a further release of some sort would be announced. And that is a very, very good thing.
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