Casting classic musicals with Muppets!

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/4/17 at 9:14am

This is a concept I've toyed with for a LONG time. (I've talked with others about pitching it as a TV series.)

I'm particularly proud of the casting I did for certain musicals (plugging in characters from "Sesame Street", "Fraggle Rock", "The Ghost of Faffner Hall", and other Muppet productions when necessary.)

Some of the casting is a bit 'outside the box', only because I didn't want Kermit to have the male lead all the time just because he's Kermit. Most times, he usually directs (and laments that he needs a drink). Backstage chaos is chronicled as well (like a standard "Muppet Show".

I'm particularly proud of my casting for "Fiddler On The Roof", "Sweeney Todd", and "The Phantom of the Opera", among others....

 

 

 

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 1:14pm

Fozzie is definitely booked to play Pseudolus, the rest of the cast is pending.

I'm a big fan of the Sam Eagle/Miss Piggy-led "Sweeney Todd".

[henrikegerman]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 1:16pm

Miss Piggy as Countess Charlotte in ALNM, especially if "My Husband the Pig" is back in the score.  

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 1:28pm

And then there's Gonzo's turn as Albin in "La Cage Aux Folles"....his version of "I Am What I Am" brings a tear to Jerry Herman's eye (via Skype). (And not in a good way.)

[Princeton2]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 1:33pm

Gypsy starring Miss Piggy and Kermit

[UrNotAMachine]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 1:52pm

Cabaret - Miss Piggy as Sally Bowles, Kermit as Cliff, Fozzy Bear as The Emcee and just wait until you hear Animal's rendition of "Tomorrow Belongs to Me"

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 1:58pm

"Gypsy" starring Miss Piggy and Kermit was an idea I had, complete with Miss Piggy having a meltdown over someone taking a picture. (The culprit--Patti LuPone, who's sitting in the balcony with Statler & Waldorf. Watching Miss Piggy freak out, Statler and Waldorf tell Patti she did it better.)

I thought Gonzo would be better as the Emcee in "Cabaret"....

[NoName3]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 8:34pm

Miss Piggy as Dolly, Bert as Vandergelder, Kermit as Cornelius, Waldorf as Rudolf

[BuddyStarr]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 9:18pm

I guess I'm on the Gonzo kick because I see him as Evan in DEH with Janice playing his mother and Animal playing Conner.  Possibly Scooter as Jared.  Zoe could be a chicken.

[CoolDogeGuy]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 10:20pm

Miss Piggy as Queenie and Kermit as Burrs in The Wild Party ????

[roseaddams]

Posted: 12/5/17 at 10:55pm

Uncle Deadly is Frank-N-Furter. Kermit and Miss Piggy are Brad and Janet. Floyd is Riff Raff. Animal is Rocky. Janice is Magenta. Bunsen Honeydew is Dr. Scott. Dr. Teeth is Eddie.

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/6/17 at 11:45am

Let's not forget "Oliver!" and "The Mystery of Edwin Drood".....if at first they don't succeed with Dickens, fail, fail again! (per Statler & Waldorf)

[g.d.e.l.g.i.]

Posted: 12/6/17 at 1:00pm

roseaddams said: "Uncle Deadly is Frank-N-Furter. Kermit and Miss Piggy are Brad and Janet. Floyd is Riff Raff. Animal is Rocky. Janice is Magenta. Bunsen Honeydew is Dr. Scott. Dr. Teeth is Eddie."

Actually, this one was already done, with different casting and a terrific premise, by legendary filker Tom Smith as The Rocky Horror Muppet Show back in the late Eighties.

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/6/17 at 1:51pm

Yes, "The Rocky Horror Muppet Show" is a scream.

I've done the "Muppet casting" on a LOT of classic musicals, but I think the casting I did for "Sweeney Todd" is my best.

"SWEENEY TODD: THE DEMON BARBER OF FLEET STREET" (or "THE DEMON MUPPETS OF SESAME STREET"

starring

Sam Eagle as Sweeney Todd

Miss Piggy as Mrs. Nellie Lovett

Scooter as Anthony Hope

Annie Sue Pig as Johanna Barker

Uncle Deadly as Judge Turpin

Mokey Fraggle as the beggar woman

Wembley Fraggle as Tobias Ragg

Wayne (of "Wayne & Wanda" as Beadle Bamford

Marvin Suggs as Adolfo Pirelli

Crazy Harry as Jonas Fogg

Everyone else as the ensemble

Kermit is directing...but a problem does arise: the orchestra he books can't make it, so Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem fill in, with the usual results.

[bwayboy22]

Posted: 12/6/17 at 2:24pm

Miss Piggy as Mame with Miss Poogy as Vera, Scooter as Patrick, and Fozzie as Beauregard

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/7/17 at 8:57am

The "grandfather" of this project, however, was the cast I came up with for "Fiddler On The Roof" (also known as "Beaker On The Roof". It's undergone a considerable amount of tweaks, especially within the last 15 years or so. Rowlf the Dog leads this production as Tevye, and yes, Beaker does play the fiddler, and yes, he does fall off the roof.

[Larcen26]

Posted: 12/7/17 at 2:52pm

Did these in college: (Apologies for the bold type, tried to make a bulleted list)

Les Mup - "It's time for revolution, it's time to make things right, it's time to kill the leaders on the Muppet Show tonight!"

• Valjean - Rowlf ValRowlf
• Javert - Sam the Eagle
• Marius - Kermit
• Cosette - Piggy
• Eponine - Janice
• Fantine - Patti LuPone (There's always one human)
• Thenardier - Statler
• Mrs. Thenardier - Waldorf in drag
• Gavroche - Robin
• Enjolras - Gonzo
• The Bishop - Scooter

And Muppet Christ Superstar 

• Jesus - Ted Neely (One human, and we couldn't bring ourselves to crucify Kermit)
• Judas - Gonzo (Hangs himself by his nose)
• Mary Magdaline - Janice
• Pilate - Kermit ("Die if you want to, you innocent Muppet!" )
• Simon Zealotes - Floyd
• Peter - Scooter ("Scooter, don't you know what you have said?" )
• Maid by the Fire - Piggy (and she's annoyed her part is so small)
• Herod - Dr. Teeth (Fozzie is also acceptable)
• Caiaphas - Sam the Eagle
• Annas - Rizzo (Potentially Pepe in newer casts)
• Two special appearances:
  • The Count shows up for the 39 lashes
  • Animal whips Jesus with his chain.

Updated On: 12/7/17 at 02:52 PM

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/7/17 at 4:49pm

Larcen26 said: "Did these in college: (Apologies for the bold type, tried to make a bulleted list)

Les Mup - "It's time for revolution, it's time to make things right, it's time to kill the leaders on the Muppet Show tonight!"

• Valjean - Rowlf ValRowlf
• Javert - Sam the Eagle
• Marius - Kermit
• Cosette - Piggy
• Eponine - Janice
• Fantine - Patti LuPone (There's always one human)
• Thenardier - Statler
• Mrs. Thenardier - Waldorf in drag
• Gavroche - Robin
• Enjolras - Gonzo
• The Bishop - Scooter

Awesome! I came up with a Les Miz cast myself...

Kermit the Frog as Jean Valjean

Gonzo the Great as Javert

Scooter as Marius

Annie Sue Pig as Cosette

Janice as Eponine

Miss Piggy as Fantine (and yeah, she realizes what happens after her big number and is VERY angry about it...this plays a major part in Kermit's rendition of "Bring Him Home"

Uncle Deadly as Thenardier

Mrs. Dilber (from Muppet Christmas Carol) as Mme. Thenardier

Bean Bunny as Gavroche

Sgt. Floyd Pepper as Enjolras

Fozzie Bear as Grantaire

Everyone else as the ensemble.

(In case you're wondering, Gonzo insisted on playing Javert, mainly so he could "take the plunge".)

 

Updated On: 12/7/17 at 04:49 PM

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/8/17 at 3:45pm

One of my other favorite Muppet casts: "RENT"!

Scooter as Mark

Sgt. Floyd Pepper as Roger

Janice as Mimi

Gonzo as Angel

Bert as Benny

Clifford as Collins

Mokey Fraggle as Maureen

Skeeter as Joanne

(Everyone else is in the ensemble, with Miss Piggy making a hilarious cameo as Alexi Darling--and finds another way to be in the show. And EVERYBODY...EVERY Muppet ever made...sings "Seasons Of Love".)

[dearalanaaaa]

Posted: 12/8/17 at 6:47pm

Dear Muppet Hansen we've been way too out of touch. Things have been crazy and it's sucks I'm not on stage enough. -Miss Piggy if she was any character besides Evan in dear Evan Hansen

[MWShapiro]

Posted: 12/12/17 at 9:23am

I've given Miss Piggy some fairly prominent roles over the years, so she has NOTHING to cry about. :)