Swing Joined: 11/5/25
Stand-by Joined: 5/10/16
Was this show reviewed? Didn't it officially open?
EvanstonDad said: "Was this show reviewed? Didn't it officially open?"
I believe reviews are coming out tomorrow. The opening night red carpet / gala was on the 6th.
Saw the Sun matinee. Muppets were best part with some decent one-liners. But the magic is pretty boilerplate and boring.
Special guest was Marisha Wallace. I felt I was the only one there who knew who she was and the special guest participates in a really awkward and boring way. I felt second-hand embarrassment for her.
This show is not Bway caliber. I was more wowed by the magic in the current lame Beauty and the Beast tour I saw last week back home.
Swing Joined: 11/8/24
Are both of the illusions that were in the production photography still in the show?
One is a water levitation illusion that is similar to the Copperfield one (complete with fake rockwork) and one of the Henning water levitations. :max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Rob-Lake-Muppets-102925-3-82ee2841799b413ca2c8660312ee81ae.jpg)
The other is another Copperfield where he tells a very personal story and then makes a car appear on pillars that are similar to the pillars in the Rob Lake publicity photo. (The Copperfield pillars aren't in the photo, but the lighting technique Rob Lake uses around Kermit in the celebrity guest segment are.)
Yes both of the illusions in your photos occurred during my performance.
EntrActe said: "The production photos feature two pictures of illusions, but neither were in the performance I saw.
One is a water levitation illusion that is similar to the Copperfield one (complete with fake rockwork) and one of the Henning water levitations.:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Rob-Lake-Muppets-102925-3-82ee2841799b413ca2c8660312ee81ae.jpg)
The other is another Copperfield where he tells a very personal story and then makes a car appear on pillars that are similar to the pillars in the Rob Lake publicity photo. (The Copperfield pillars aren't in the photo, but the lighting technique Rob Lake uses around Kermit in the celebrity guest segment are.)
Were either of these tricks in the performance you saw? Was extremely disappointed that the ONLY two illusions in the publicity photos weren't in the performance I saw. Wonder if he got a letter from Copperfield?"
Swing Joined: 4/4/18
...and the show is disappearing Sunday, November 16. Early closing. Email went out a few minutes ago to future show ticket holders.
Broadway Star Joined: 4/3/17
Turns out a Muppet show actually needs the Muppets to succeed. Who knew?
ParkerPauly said: "...and the show is disappearing Sunday, November 16. Early closing. Email went out a few minutes ago to future show ticket holders."
Oh, thank Christ! Now all the hungry vultures on here can feed. Feed, vultures, feed!
Broadway Star Joined: 12/9/23
Matt Rogers said: "ParkerPauly said: "...and the show is disappearing Sunday, November 16. Early closing. Email went out a few minutes ago to future show ticket holders."
Oh, thank Christ! Now all the hungry vultures on here can feed. Feed, vultures, feed!"
This was my first thought. I knew some friends excited to take their kids over the upcoming holidays -- but glad everyone on this board got to be right! I hope you all enjoy that feeling! Keep it tight <3
ParkerPauly said: "...and the show is disappearing Sunday, November 16. Early closing. Email went out a few minutes ago to future show ticket holders."
Maybe if he had actually made The Muppets a centerpiece of the show, he would have sold tickets.
20 previews and just 4 regular performances.
Reviews will now drop November 15 at 11 AM.
Is this the first time in the 2020s a show has announced closing prior to an official opening night and/or the release of reviews?
quizking101 said: "Is this the first time in the 2020s a show has announced closing prior to an official opening night and/or the release of reviews?"
It technically “opened.” But I think it’s the first time in decades a show has closed before reviews got published.
quizking101 said: "Is this the first time in the 2020s a show has announced closing prior to an official opening night and/or the release of reviews?"
Nevermind! Went back and read through the thread!
I just do not for the life of me understand what Disney was thinking with this licensing. They've made a lot of baffling Muppet-related decisions over the years, but especially with the Muppets' own potential stage show having gotten significant development in the past, it feels like the only possible outcome of this was to destroy value and potential.
You can tell the lead producers are inexperienced in the theatre world when they keep pushing back the press opening without giving any explanation. The Broadway League website had November 6, then the 11th, and now the 14th.
It’s the LEMPICKA cast album all over again, with lesser higher-ups involved.
Why are all the creative team members credited as ‘consultants’ ? What is this? McKinsey?
There's a Not Since Carrie joke in here somewhere...
I hope everyone involved in the production finds their next job quickly. It's hard out there for a frog.
The Muppets will be fine. They have very strong good will, and brand recognition, to weather the storm. And while I don't deny some families will be disappointed that their show was cancelled, they would have been just as disappointed if they showed up to this expecting a true Muppet experience.
Updated On: 11/11/25 at 10:50 PMBroadway Star Joined: 12/9/11
ParkerPauly said: "...and the show is disappearing Sunday, November 16. Early closing. Email went out a few minutes ago to future show ticket holders."
Both of them?
Magic so good, it made the show disappear.
EDSOSLO858 said: "You can tell the lead producers are inexperienced in the theatre world when they keep pushing back the press opening without giving any explanation. The Broadway League website had November 6, then the 11th, and now the 14th.
This entire thing was just a huge mess that had no business being on Broadway, honestly.
Broadway Legend Joined: 1/21/20
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