{"id":119921,"date":"2025-08-30T03:30:14","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T03:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/119921\/"},"modified":"2025-08-30T03:30:14","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T03:30:14","slug":"broadway-shows-should-be-casting-the-muppets","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/119921\/","title":{"rendered":"Broadway Shows Should Be Casting the Muppets"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n Not not Stereophonic.
\n Photo: ABC\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

Our long national nightmare is over: The Muppets are finally coming to Broadway<\/a>. The motley crew of vagabond performers are set to make their Broadway debut in magician Rob Lake\u2019s upcoming show, the aptly titled Rob Lake Magic With Special Guests the Muppets. The limited run begins playing the Broadhurst Theatre on October 28 and opens November 6. Billing the Muppets behind an America\u2019s Got Talent quarter-finalist is troubling and somewhat disrespectful, but it\u2019s a good first step. If this is how they finally make it to the Great White Way, so be it, because soon enough the entire theater industry will be at their felty fingertips.<\/p>\n

Think about the new possibilities this long-awaited foray into theater will bring about. Once they\u2019re bona fide Broadway actors, they\u2019ll be able to perform at Miscast<\/a> (except Miss Piggy, who would be appropriately cast in any role), present at the Jimmy Awards<\/a>, and (as all theater actors eventually do) book a guest role on Elsbeth<\/a>. Or better yet, The Gilded Age<\/a>, where we can watch a corseted Miss Piggy \u201chi-ya!\u201d back and forth across that street. But let\u2019s not get ahead of ourselves. First, we need casting directors (not just illusionists) to book these performers in their shows \u2014 and since Broadway loves stunt casting, that shouldn\u2019t be too hard. Below, some modest proposals for other Broadway shows that the Muppets would fit into seamlessly.<\/p>\n

Starring Miss Piggy as Madeline Ashton.<\/p>\n

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Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Henson Associates\/Everett Collection, Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman\n <\/p>\n

Much like Megan Hilty, Miss Piggy is \u201cfor the gaze,\u201d and this role encompasses everything that Piggy consistently brings to the table: glamour, beauty, and violence. Just imagine her take on the competitively seductive \u201cTell Me, Ernest\u201d \u2014 or, in her case, \u201cTell Moi, Ernest.\u201d She\u2019d also be able to do all of her own stunts, and she\u2019s even got an in with the production since Rob Lake helped design some of the show\u2019s illusions.<\/p>\n

Starring Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Mitch Haaseth\/Disney+\/Everett Collection\n <\/p>\n

A show about a \u201970s rock band struggling to record their album? Say no more. Though the Broadway production closed earlier this year, if there\u2019s one thing the Electric Mayhem know how to do, it\u2019s tour. Hop in that psychedelic schoolbus and hit the road!<\/p>\n

\u00a0Starring Camilla as Mama Morton.<\/p>\n

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Photo: The Muppets via YouTube\n <\/p>\n

Oh, just because Camilla is a chicken you assume she doesn\u2019t have the abilities to take on a Broadway role? Well, lack of ability has never stopped Chicago\u2019s casting department before (never forget Jerry Springer as Billy Flynn). And just think how hard the lyrics \u201cAsk any of the chickies in my pen \/ They\u2019ll tell you I\u2019m the biggest mother hen\u201d will hit when it\u2019s bawked.<\/p>\n

Starring Gonzo as Jay Gatsby.<\/p>\n

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Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Andrea McCallin\/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images, Evan Zimmerman for MurphyMade\n <\/p>\n

He literally already goes by the Great Gonzo, so this couldn\u2019t be more obvious. He was hoping to do the Florence Welch version, but this will have to do in the meantime.<\/p>\n

Starring Rizzo the Rat as Bobby Darin.<\/p>\n

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Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Nicole Wilder\/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images, Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman\n <\/p>\n

This shouldn\u2019t require any explanation; Rizzo and Jonathan Groff are constantly up for the same roles. But it\u2019s worth noting that in Just in Time, Groff starts the show as himself before transforming into Darin. It\u2019s a framing device not unlike that of Rizzo the Rat being credited as \u201cHimself\u201d in A Muppet Christmas Carol.<\/p>\n

Starring Statler and Waldorf as Vladimir and Estragon.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Janette Pellegrin\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

Oh, Jamie Lloyd wanted a famous comedic film duo for his upcoming production of Waiting for Godot? Move over, Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter \u2014 nobody can compete with Statler and Waldorf. Plus, if there\u2019s one thing Jamie Lloyd loves (just ask Rachel Zegler), it\u2019s a balcony. And just think of the barbs! \u201cWaiting for Godot? More like waiting for the set designer to show up!\u201d or \u201cYou know why I\u2019m always jealous of the actors in a Jamie Lloyd show? They get to leave the theater!\u201d<\/p>\n

Starring the Swedish Chef as Jersey.<\/p>\n

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Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Jay David Buchsbaum\/The Muppets Studio\/Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images, Marc J. Franklin\n <\/p>\n

There was a mix-up and he thought it was a real kitchen. But some of what he comes up with might be more coherent than \u201cConcrete jungle where dreams are made of.\u201d<\/p>\n

Starring Audrey II as Audrey.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Murray Close\/Sygma via Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

She\u2019s not a Muppet (though she\u2019s often connected to the Jim Henson Company in some way), but they should let the puppet that plays the plant go on as Audrey every now and then, like when her parents are in town or something.<\/p>\n

Starring Fozzie Bear as Josh Sharp.<\/p>\n

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Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Christopher Willard\/ABC via Getty Images, Emilio Madrid\n <\/p>\n

A one-man-show starring a comedian? Fozzie Bear is the obvious choice to take on the role \u2014 after all, what is a \u201cta-da\u201d if not a \u201cwocka wocka\u201d? And he\u2019ll be able to handle all the gay jokes with ease because he\u2019s a bear. Wocka wocka.<\/p>\n

Just kidding.<\/p>\n

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Photo: Matthew Murphy and Evan Zimmerman\n <\/p>\n

Because none of the Muppets<\/a> are Asian<\/a>, we will not be casting the Muppets in this show. See how easy that was?<\/p>\n

Starring Rowlf the Dog as Chowsie.<\/p>\n

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Photo: CBS\/Getty Images\n <\/p>\n

If Chowsie could play the piano as well as Rowlf does, Rose would have left June and Louise alone and focused all of her attention on making her dog the star.<\/p>\n

Starring Kermit the Frog as Mary\u2019s Husband.<\/p>\n

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Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Albert L. Ortega\/WireImage, Emilio Madrid\n <\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all seen the Miss Piggy as Mary Todd Lincoln fancasting, so at this point that goes without saying. Besides, usurping Jinkx Monsoon for Miss Piggy would fan the ferocious flames of backstage drama and turmoil (hmmm \u2026 Smash season-three idea). Instead, an equally fitting casting would be Kermit taking on the role of Mary\u2019s Husband, who is constantly trying to wrangle his violent wannabe-star wife \u2014 a role we\u2019ve seen Kermit playing for years.<\/p>\n

Related<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Not not Stereophonic. Photo: ABC\/Getty Images Our long national nightmare is over: The Muppets are finally coming to…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":119922,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[57],"tags":[77110,77111,21540,236,88,32638,77109,77108,12362,10677],"class_list":{"0":"post-119921","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-celebrities","8":"tag-a-bad-idea-worth-considering","9":"tag-a-great-idea-worth-demanding","10":"tag-broadway","11":"tag-celebrities","12":"tag-entertainment","13":"tag-jim-henson","14":"tag-play-too-much-bill","15":"tag-the-muppets","16":"tag-theater","17":"tag-vulture-homepage-lede"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119921","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=119921"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/119921\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/119922"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=119921"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=119921"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=119921"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}