This puts her in the company of many great comedy straight men over the years, including but not limited to Bud Abbott, Dick Smothers, and Kermit the Frog.īut what she’s really great at is judiciously and deftly employing takes to the camera. She knows when to execute a slow burn, but if the situation calls for it, she won’t hesitate to raise her voice. But my favorite times are when it’s a seemingly adult Muppet who’s just acting like a goofball.Īnd while all of the Sesame Street humans are good at working with Muppets, Maria/Sonia is just the best at playing off their silliness in a way that’s equally amusing, but without ever overdoing it with overacting or mugging. Often, especially in recent years, it’s a little kid character whose youthful enthusiasm or naivete is getting the better of them. The humans certainly get plenty of opportunities to show off their comedy skills, but they spend a huge portion of their screen time reacting to the wacky antics of those silly puppets. Of course, this is a job requirement for being on the show. As an adult, I’ve come to appreciate how the writers and actors make each of the humans a distinct character beyond just being “one of the grown-ups.” Maria has been around for 40 years, so obviously she has a lot going for her, but one of my favorite things about her is this: Of all the grown-ups on Sesame Street, Maria is the best at playing straight man to Muppets. Maria is especially deserving of praise, because she’s one of the best Sesame Street humans ever, due in no small part to Sonia Manzano’s performance. But I’ve always loved the humans just about as much as the Muppets, so it’s always great when they get some much-deserved praise. The humans on the street tend to be overshadowed and upstaged by their brighter, louder Muppet co-stars when. When most people talk about their fond memories of the show, they tend to focus on Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert, Big Bird, and those guys. During her 44-year career as the iconic 'Maria,' and the first leading Latina woman on television, she was a role model for young girls and women for generations.Welcome to Maria Week – Celebrating over 40 years of Sonia Manzano’s work on Sesame Street! We’re dedicating an entire week to her performance as Maria and the legacy she’s leaving with the recent announcement of her retirement from the show.Īlthough it’s sad that Sonia Manzano is leaving Sesame Street, it’s been wonderful to see the outpouring of affection she’s received from fans of all ages since her announcement. In confirming Manzano's retirement, Sesame Workshop said "she will always be a part of the fabric of our neighbourhood. As Maria, she and Luis became the masters of repair, including a large quantity of toasters, as co-owners of the Fix-It Shop. In 1971, she auditioned for Sesame Street, then only 2 years old. ![]() She moved up with it as it transferred to a club in New York's Greenwich Village, then to off-Broadway, then Broadway. She began her show business career in the original cast of the musical Godspell, which began as a student production on the Carnegie Mellon campus. She has also written children's books.īorn in a Puerto Rican neighbourhood of The Bronx that resembled the city world Sesame Street would later embrace, Manzano attended Manhattan's High School of Performing Arts and then Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. ![]() Manzano also served as a writer for the show, sharing in 15 Emmy awards as a member of the writing team. ![]() She said she wouldn't be part of PBS' new Sesame Street season.Ī beloved resident of Sesame Street since she was a teenager, the character Maria owned the neighbourhood repair shop with husband Luis (played by Emilio Delgado, who remains on the show). ![]() Manzano, 65, broke the news earlier this week at the American Library Association Annual Conference. Sonia Manzano, who has played the role of Maria on the groundbreaking kid show since 1971, is retiring. NEW YORK - Sesame Street is about to be less A-OK.
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