The Muppets on Broadway?

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disneyprincess11
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The Muppets on Broadway?

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Disney to Bring Kermit, Miss Piggy & THE MUPPETS to Broadway?
It's not easy being green, but Disney may be seeing green if the studio brings the beloved characters from 1984's THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN to the Great White Way.

The New York Post's Michael Riedel reports that the Walt Disney Company, which has had the rights to the Muppets since 2004, is "exploring the possibility" of a Muppet musical coming to one of Jujamcyn's five theaters. With the recent successes of kid-friendly musicals "Cinderella," "Aladdin", "The Lion King" and "Mary Poppins," it seems to be only a matter of time before the iconic Henson creations have a show of their own. While the project make take a while to come to fruition, as one source says, "Who doesn't love Muppets?"

It remains unclear how Disney would go about adapting a movie starring an ecclectic group of puppets to the stage. Will they emulate the success of Julie Taymor's "Lion King," in which the actors who man the life-size puppets remain somewhat camouflaged in the background, or perhaps use the "Avenue Q" model, in which both puppets and their 'handlers' are clearly visible to the audience.
http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/Di ... 8ZtjxaRPwJ
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by Atlantica »

Hmmmm …. this could really work, or could suck really badly. The main point, for me at least, would be the voices. Who would be able to perform the voices night in night out ? Or would they get soundalikes etc ?
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by UmbrellaFish »

If they consistently get great soundalikes for the roles, I think this could be a huge smash. It would be the only Broadway show that could forever with the same bonafide marquee stars, Kermit, Miss Piggy, etc. as the day it opened. I'm a little embarrassed I never considered this possibility, especially since the success of "Avenue Q."
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by blackcauldron85 »

I wonder, would it be purely based on The Muppets Take Manhattan (I know that Disney owns The Muppets, but did they ever release that film on DVD/Blu-ray, or has only Jim Henson Entertainment?), or would they have elements of different films/tv shows/new stuff...? This idea totally excites me, though, but I'd worry about the voices, too.
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by disneyphilip »

blackcauldron85 wrote:I wonder, would it be purely based on The Muppets Take Manhattan (I know that Disney owns The Muppets, but did they ever release that film on DVD/Blu-ray, or has only Jim Henson Entertainment?), or would they have elements of different films/tv shows/new stuff...? This idea totally excites me, though, but I'd worry about the voices, too.
Disney does not own the distribution rights to The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppets From Space, Kermit's Swamp Years or It's a Very Merry Muppet Christmas Movie.

The distribution rights to Manhattan, Space and Swamp Years are all owned by Sony while Very Merry Muppet Xmas is owned by NBC/Universal.

Therefore, Disney cannot release those 4 specific films. And why Disney has never released them.
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by blackcauldron85 »

^ Thank you! So, could Disney even develop a Broadway show based on The Muppets Take Manhattan?
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by disneyphilip »

blackcauldron85 wrote:^ Thank you! So, could Disney even develop a Broadway show based on The Muppets Take Manhattan?
I don't think it would be based on Muppets Take Manhattan.

I think it would just be a normal Muppet Show-style variety show with random musical numbers and skits.
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by blackcauldron85 »

^ Gotcha, thank you! I wonder, then, if they would use any existing Muppets songs, or if they would use all brand-new songs...
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

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Well this is a colossal flop waiting to happen, but I've always wanted to see something like it so I'll be attending.
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

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blackcauldron85 wrote:^ Thank you! So, could Disney even develop a Broadway show based on The Muppets Take Manhattan?
Weren't they producing a Princess Bride musical a while back? So, I guess it's not too out-of-the-ordinary for them to make a Muppets Take Manhattan stage musical. And they used "Together Again" in Muppets Most Wanted, so using the songs shouldn't be a problem.
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by Mach Full Force »

UmbrellaFish wrote:If they consistently get great soundalikes for the roles, I think this could be a huge smash. It would be the only Broadway show that could forever with the same bonafide marquee stars, Kermit, Miss Piggy, etc. as the day it opened.
Or, if they follow the Avenue Q model, it could be a chance to acknowledge that, regardless of worldwide fame and fans, the Muppets are still fictional characters, not real celebrities like they're constantly made out to be, and should be treated just like other kinds of puppets are.

*stands on soapbox* Enough with the puppet discrimination! Equal rights for all puppets!
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

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Nah....
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by Avaitor »

It would make sense to adapt Muppets Take Manhattan, since that's about bringing the characters to a Broadway show. Meta!

Although, I think it would be just as fun to see something like what they were doing in Muppets Most Wanted, and make an actual stage-length production of The Muppet Show, with a rotating guest star that they retheme to their talents as they come and go. Imagine, Idina Menzel could do it a couple of nights, while Josh Groban will come in later. Them perhaps Hugh Jackman or Scarlett Johansson or who knows!
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by Disney's Divinity »

Avaitor wrote:It would make sense to adapt Muppets Take Manhattan, since that's about bringing the characters to a Broadway show. Meta!

Although, I think it would be just as fun to see something like what they were doing in Muppets Most Wanted, and make an actual stage-length production of The Muppet Show, with a rotating guest star that they retheme to their talents as they come and go. Imagine, Idina Menzel could do it a couple of nights, while Josh Groban will come in later. Them perhaps Hugh Jackman or Scarlett Johansson or who knows!
I agree with both these ideas. :up:
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Re: The Muppets-The Broadway Musical?

Post by disneyphilip »

Don't count on a Muppets Take Manhattan.

A Muppet Show-style variety show with random musical numbers and skits is more likely.
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Re: The Muppets on Broadway?

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Is 'The Muppets Christmas Carol' finally coming to Broadway? According to sources, thanks in large part to the interest in off-Broadway ‘Sesame Street: The Musical’, discussions surrounding the possibility of bringing the Muppets holiday classic to the stage have intensified.

According to my sources, discussion about this seems to happen every year but talks between decision-makers have intensified to the level that we may see this happen within the next couple of years. And we have Sesame Street to thank for it. ‘Sesame Street: The Musical’, which is currently running off-Broadway for a limited engagement in Theatre Row, has sparked discussion and solved some questions about how to bring a Muppet show to a live stage. While we’ve had shows in the past such as ‘Avenue Q’, the puppeteers were in full view of the audience which is not how Sesame Workshop or The Jim Henson Company operate.

So the question remained, how could you stage something like ‘The Muppets Christmas Carol’ in a Broadway theatre? While I’m told ‘Sesame Street: The Musical’ doesn’t provide all the answers, it does offer some possibilities. I’m also told that the big reason for the intensified discussion is due to the lack of family-friendly holiday engagements on and around Broadway during the holiday season.
Source: https://www.onstageblog.com/editorials/ ... o-broadway
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Re: The Muppets on Broadway?

Post by singerguy04 »

As someone who is heavily involved with theater this subject has always troubled me. On face value I would 100% LOVE to see The Muppets on Broadway, but I kind of fear what that would look like. Part of the reason puppeteer actors are visible is for their resume. They need to be seen to perform their art as actors, and if they are not seen I think it would incredibly hard to find Broadway talent to help sell the show. That being said The Muppets are recognizable on their own, but I think so much of the magic behind those characters is removed if you see them with their puppeteers.

Their whole schtick is that they exist in our world with us as individuals. Seeing Kermit on stage with a puppeteer would king of ruin that.
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