The Jim Henson Retrospectacle is a three-week celebration of Jim Henson held in Wellington, New Zealand from April 9 - 29, 2018.
The event featured film and compilation screenings at the Embassy Theatre, along with workshops, puppetry master classes and Q&A sessions at Te Papa. Guests included Bonnie Erickson, Arthur Novell, Dave Goelz, Carmen Osbahr, Matt Vogel, Karen Prell, Peter Linz, and Eric Jacobson. The entire event concluded with a two-night concert at the Michael Fowler Centre on April 27 and 28. The concert was hosted by Bret McKenzie, backed by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and featured Muppet characters from The Muppet Show troupe, Sesame Street, and Fraggle Rock.[1]
The event had been in development since 2009.[2]
Event Calendar[]
- April 14
- Screening: The Muppet Movie
- April 15
- Screening: "Muppet Music Moments" (compilation), Labyrinth
- Live Event: "Becoming Real: A Muppet Performers Journey with Dave Goelz"
- April 16
- Screening: "The Muppet Show: Muppetational Celebrational Special" (compilation)
- April 17
- Screening: "Jim Henson's Tales from Muppetland" (compilation)
- Live Event: "Bonnie Erickson: The Woman Behind Miss Piggy"
- April 18
- Screening: "Miss Piggy: A Sow is Born" (compilation)
- April 19
- Screening: "Jim Henson: In Performance" (compilation)
- Live Event: "Dave Goelz and Karen Prell in Conversation"
- April 20
- Screening: The Great Muppet Caper, The Dark Crystal
- April 21
- Screening: "Muppet History 101" (compilation), The Muppets
- April 22
- Screening: "The Muppets Heroic Sci-Fi Fantasy Spectacular" (compilation)
- Live Event: "The Art of Television Puppetry with the Sesame Street Muppet Performers"
- April 23
- Screening: "Jim Henson: His Sesame Street Story" (compilation)
- Live Event: "Extending and Honouring Jim's Legacy"
- April 25
- Screening: Follow That Bird
- April 26
- Screening: "This Frog: A Kermit Kompilation from Sam and Friends to Stardom" (compilation)
- April 27
- Live Event: The Jim Henson Retrospectacle Live in Concert (two performances)
- Screening: "Sing! The Music of Sesame Street" (compilation)
- April 28
- Live Event: The Jim Henson Retrospectacle Live in Concert (two performances)
- Screening: Muppets Most Wanted, "Commercials and Experiments" (compilation)
- April 29
- Screening: The Muppets Take Manhattan
- Live Event: "Celebrating Jim"
Sources[]
- ↑ "3-week Jim Henson celebration will bring Muppets to Wellington in April", Wellington Scoop, February 1, 2018.
- ↑ "Muppets in Wellington: Capital to host world-first Jim Henson tribute concert with Bret McKenzie", Stuff, February 1, 2018.
External links[]
- Official site (archive link)
- "Bret McKenzie on how he got the Muppets to play three concerts in NZ", NZ Herald (Feb 1, 2018)
- "Interview: Jim Henson Legacy’s Craig Shemin talks Retrospectacle", Flickz
- "Meet the woman bringing The Muppets to Wellington", The Spinoff