The Muppet Show: On Tour! is a live stage show based on The Muppet Show, produced by VEE Corporation in 1984. The cast of The Muppet Show appeared live on stage as full-body puppets, performed to a soundtrack recorded by the original Muppet performers.
The show was written by Fred Newman and Mark Saltzman. The costumes were designed and built by Henson Associates, Inc.
A second show, The Muppet Show on Tour: 2nd Edition, was presented in 1985.
The show visited the United Kingdom for a London engagement in 1987.
Cast[]
The show featured full-body costume/puppets of Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Animal, The Great Gonzo, Rowlf, Dr. Teeth, Zoot, Beauregard, Dr. Bunsen Honeydew, Scooter, Janice, Statler and Waldorf, Floyd Pepper and the Flying Zucchini Brothers.
Robin the Frog, Camilla the Chicken, Rizzo the Rat and Chester Rat were represented on stage as puppets.
Beaker, Link Hogthrob, Sam the Eagle, the Swedish Chef, the Rats and Beauregard's mop Belleregard appeared on video and were not live on stage.
Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Dave Goelz, Richard Hunt, Jerry Nelson and Steve Whitmire performed the voices for the show's soundtrack.
Program[]
Norman Green provided illustrations for the souvenir program.
Gallery[]
Act I: It's Time to Start Rehearsing[]
| Act | Characters | Written by | Publishing info |
|---|---|---|---|
| The Muppet Show Theme | The Muppets | Sam Pottle and Jim Henson | ATV Music Ltd., 1976 |
| That Face | Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Beauregard, and Rowlf | Lew Spence and Alan Bergman | Frank Music Corporation |
| The Great Gonzo and His Daredevil Deeds | |||
| The Flying Zucchini Brothers | |||
| Cheek to Cheek | Beauregard and Belleregard | Irving Berlin (from Top Hat) | Irving Berlin Music Corporation, 1935 |
| Eight Little Notes | Rowlf the Dog | Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady | Blackwood Music, Inc. |
| I Am the Very Model of a Scientific Scientist | Dr. Bunsen Honeydew | Gilbert and Sullivan (from The Pirates of Penzance), with spoof lyrics by Paul Walberg | Henson Associates |
| Fozzie's Magic Act | Fozzie Bear | ||
| Bein' Green | Kermit the Frog | Joe Raposo | Jonico Music, Inc. and Green Fox Music Inc., 1970 |
| Proud Mary | Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem | J.C. Fogerty | Jondora Music, 1968 |
Act II: This Is What We Call "The Muppet Show"[]
| Act | Characters | Written by | Publishing info |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scenes From Intermission | |||
| The Muppet Show Theme | The Muppets | Sam Pottle and Jim Henson | ATV Music Ltd., 1976 |
| That Face | Miss Piggy, Fozzie, Beauregard, and Rowlf | Lew Spence and Alan Bergman | Frank Music Corporation |
| Happy Feet | Kermit the Frog | Milton Ager and Jack Yellen | Warner Bros. Inc., 1930 |
| Rappin' Fozzie | Fozzie Bear | Mark Saltzman, Fred Newman and Paul Walberg | Henson Associates, 1984 |
| Water Ballet: The Queen of the Mermaids/Le Paradise Couchon | Cast | Paul Walberg | Henson Associates, 1984 |
| Flashbacks | |||
| Rainbow Connection | Kermit the Frog | Paul Williams and Kenny Ascher (from The Muppet Movie) | Welbeck Music Corporation and Muppet Music Inc., 1979 |
| Gonzo the Great and the Fantastic Flying Zucchini Brothers | |||
| My Way | Gonzo | J. Revaux & C. Francois, and Paul Anka | MCA Music |
| Everything Old Is New Again | Statler and Waldorf | Peter Allen and Carole Bayer Sager | Irving Music, Inc., Woolnough Music, Inc. and The Times Square Music Publication Company, 1974 |
| Pink Trouble | Cast | Paul Walberg | Henson Associates, 1984 |
| Far From Over | Cast | Frank Stallone and Vince DiCola | Famous Music Corporation |
| The Muppet Show Theme | The Muppets | Sam Pottle and Jim Henson | ATV Music Ltd., 1976 |
Additional Music[]
| Song | Written by | Publishing info |
|---|---|---|
| All the Things You Are | Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein II | T.B. Harms Company, 1939 |
| Let's Face the Music and Dance | Irving Berlin | Irving Berlin Music Corporation |
| The Man I Love | George Gershwin and Ira Gershwin | WB Music Corporation, 1924 |
| Welcome to the Music | David Gates | Kipahulu Music |
| Beauregard's Theme | Paul Walberg | Henson Associates, 1984 |
| Magic Fozzie | Paul Walberg | Henson Associates, 1984 |
| Pink Vamp | Paul Walberg | Henson Associates, 1984 |
| The History of the Vamp | Paul Walberg | Henson Associates, 1984 |
Merchandise[]
There were some items exclusively available for the tour. Among them were a series of apparel, buttons, a souvenir program, banners and pennants.
Videos[]
The Original Company[]
- Jane Atkinson
- Raymond Dragonajtys
- Dina Fraboni as Zoot[1]
- Cheryl Jean Frost as Statler[1]
- Ronald Garza as Flying Zucchini Brother[2]
- Marlene Hayden
- Maggie Jagger as Kermit[3]
- Leah Leddy as Beauregard[1]
- Angela Macerato
- Dexter Mannings as Animal[4]
- George Ramos
- Tiffany Riley
- Gretchen "Sugar Pop" Schneider as Fozzie Bear[1]
- Darnell Scott
- Ashley Michelle Swanson as Miss Piggy[1]
- Suzie Tepper as Waldorf[5]
- Charles Townzel
- Jon Trunk
Production Credits[]
Piper Recording Studio where the dialog, music, and sound effects were edited and mixed.
- Design and supervision of construction by Julie Zobel
- Assisted by Mark Zeszotek and Jerry Gum
- Heads built and animated by Mae Canaga and Marilee Canaga
- Underwater puppet design by Caroly Wilcox and Edward Christie
- Additional costumes designed by Polly Smith, Lisa Howard, Stephen Rotondaro, and Julie Zobel
- Muppet Workshop coordination by Will Morrison
- Audio Recording and Mixdown Engineer: Allen Kaufman
Sources[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 Star Tribune. "Plymouth dancer works to get inside Miss Piggy's character." Nov. 30, 1984
- ↑ Starlight Express Playbill.
- ↑ PM Magazine, WCCO-TV. 1984.
- ↑ The Central New Jersey Home News. "Sesame Street Comes Alive at State Theatre." April 05, 1991.
- ↑ Albuquerque Journal. "Muppet Life Makes Grouches Out of Women." Nov. 08, 1985