The Muppets Might Be Coming to Broadway. In Real Life, Not In a Movie.
it's time to play the music
Never have I been happier to live in New York City.
At this point Disney’s just playing around with the idea of a full-scale Muppets musical, with no official decision yet having been made. On May 31st there was a 15-minute presentation featuring several sets and 85 Muppets that was staged for an audience of Disney staff members and other people who might be involved in the musical if it happens. It was helmed by theater director Alex Timbers (Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson, The Pee-Wee Herman Show), who came up with the idea for the show while he was collaborating on the Off-Broadway Peter Pan prequel Peter and the Starcatcher with Disney Theatrical Productions president Thomas Schumacher.
The Muppets mini-musical was, according to Schumacher, “a test of concept,” developed to explore the technical challenges inherent in staging a large-scale Muppet play as opposed to working out whether such a thing would be worth exploring creatively (which of course it would, because Muppet musical).
Variety notes that “according to attendees, the brief tryout seemed to go well,” and Schumacher says he’s “very intrigued.” The musical is still far off on the horizon, but I’d be surprised if it doesn’t happen, especially considering the success Disney’s had with musicals like The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, and Mary Poppins. We all know how the Mouse House likes to squeeze every possible dollar out of their properties.
But cynical statements about Disney is where my snark ends on this one. Guys. Muppet musical. How can I not be completely unironically happy about that? Granted, the “Muppets try to get a Broadway play going” plotline has already been taken by of The Muppets Take Manhattan, but I’m sure whoever writes this thing will come up with something appropriately meta.
(via: /Film)
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