Disney+ has now added almost all of the original episodes of the Muppet Show and along with the nostalgia trip I'm loving seeing 'old' Broadway including so far Carol Channing, Bernadette, Ben Vereen, Joel Grey, Liza, Leslie Uggams and others.
It's a more soothing thing to watch at night than MSNBC (apologies to Rachel Maddow!)
It's really interesting (and, of course, terrific) that so much Sondheim and Kander and Ebb are performed, as opposed to Jerry Herman or Strouse and Adams, et al. Now, of course, Joel Grey had quite an association with K&E, and there are other links there with the other performers, but I wonder if it had something to do with music publishing. Tommy Valando was SS and K&E's publisher, and also Larry Grossman's, who was music supervisor of the program. Is there anyone who was actually there or around, or who knows more about licensing and publishing than I who can corroborate my weird inkling? Or am I just grasping at straws? (Probably the latter.)
The Lena Horne episode is also FABULOUS. I don't know why I'd forgotten "I Got a Name" but it's quite a good song, and she does it really well on her episode.
I've only seen *a lot* of the series, but never all of it. I had never seen Glenda Jackson's episode until this weekend. It's truly brilliant- sublimely ridiculous, and Jackson seems like she's having a ball traipsing around in a pirate costume with huge heeled boots the entire time.
And of course, Madeline Kahn's appearances are perfection as well.
"...everyone finally shut up, and the audience could enjoy the beginning of the Anatevka Pogram in peace."
joined:5/7/03
Muppet Show + So much Broadway!
#1Posted: 2/20/21 at 8:22am