Lots to cover in this episode! Some incredible things are happening this summer in Muppets, and we talk about all of it this week!
First of all, congratulations to the Jim Henson Company as they open Puppet Up Uncensored at the Venetian in Las Vegas! Call (702) 414-9000 for tickets, or visit Venetian.com/Puppet-Up.
Bob McGrath recently announced that he, along with the rest of the original human cast members of Sesame Street, have been let go from the show (special thanks to Guy Hutchinson for the audio). The entire MuppetCast audience thanks Bob and the entire cast for decades of memories, and countless lessons we and our children have learned from them. The Street will never, ever be the same.
Get ready for PizzeRizzo, coming soon to Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Pizza Planet will soon be replaced by the new Muppet-themed eatery. Exciting Disney Park news!
Brian Henson will produce Wee Free Men, a feature film adaptation of author Terry Pratchett’s first book in the Discworld series. No casting or release date news to report, but Pratchett fans will definitely be looking forward to this.
The Jim Henson Company will host an evening raising funds for the Center for Puppetry Arts and celebrating the career of longtime puppeteer and MuppetCast guest Dave Goelz! Stay tuned for ticket information.
Thanks to Darrin Granter (name spelled correctly) for these pics, accompanying his story on the show about meeting Caroll and Debra Spinney!
Thanks also to Renee Angely for sending links to John Denver’s last song, “Yellowstone (Coming Home).”
This is the documentary the song was written for:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIWf4pvWS0c
The music from this episode came from the YouTube channel showing video from the recent event “54 Below Celebrates the Muppets.” Click to watch some of Broadway’s best sing the most Muppetational songs ever!
Longtime listener Katherine Hannaford joins me in person to discuss her recent experiences at the 2016 Beyond the Sock puppetry workshop. This was Katherine’s second year attending the workshop, and we go into great detail about exactly what happens in this professional-grade experience.
About Beyond the Sock
Beyond the Sock is a workshop co-hosted by the University of North Texas Department of Radio, TV and Film and Department of Dance and Theatre. This four and a half day intensive workshop will allow attendees to learn techniques for performing with “hand and rod” style puppets similar to those found in some of entertainment’s most endearing television series and films. Over the course of the workshop attendees will learn the vocal and physical techniques vital to creating compelling performances from two of the top names in the field.
This is the second of a 2-part series documenting The MuppetCast road trip to Cleveland, OH for the show Electric Mayhem: A Musical Tribute to Jim Henson. This episode features live performances from Act II of the show. The Cleveland Stage Alliance is posting video of many of the songs on their YouTube channel.
Song-wise, Electric Mayhem had a little bit of everything. Whatever your favorite Muppet movie or TV show, it was included in this spectacular musical evening. An audience of adults turned into little children again as “Mahna-Mahna”, “Rainbow Connection”, and even the Fraggle Rock theme song sprung from the stage. Classics and newer Muppet songs yielded surprises around every turn, punctuated by uproarious laughter and applause. Jim would have been proud.
The Cleveland Stage Alliance
The Cleveland Stage Alliance is an organization dedicated to providing theatergoers with up-to-date information regarding any and all locally produced theatre in the Northeast Ohio region. They have a weekly newsletter containing updates on everything going on in Cleveland theatre.
Tim Dale and Joseph Foy join me this week to discuss their new book “Jim Henson and Philosophy: Imagination and the Magic of Mayhem.” We dive deep into discussions of all of Jim Henson’s properties, including the Muppets, Labyrinth, Sesame Street, and everything else. They wrote such a great book, they already want to do a second one, and we all had such a great time, that I can’t wait to have them on again! (more…)
The Muppet Newsflash Podcast (which is sort a running joke between JD Hansel and I) makes an admirable effort this week. Meaning, JD and I make Muppet podcast magic once again as we bring everyone up to date on what’s happening in the Muppet world. Lots of news, some great Frank Oz clips, and even more links to check out! (more…)
The New York wing of The MuppetCast (Jarrid and Teresa) takes over this week, presenting the audio from a recent screening event at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI). The event is called “Jim Henson and the Music of Joe Raposo” and is just fantastic. Mr. Raposo’s son Nick also joins presenter Craig Shemin to speak about his father. For more information on MoMI and the Henson screening events, visit their website(more…)
After a brief pause in production due to a zapped computer, The MuppetCast is back in action! This week we name the winner of the final leg of the Great Muppet Haiku Contest of 2015. That, and a lot of Muppet news makes this a packed episode that I think you’ll really love! (more…)
Guy Hutchinson joins me this week to talk about his new book, a history of Sesame Place. Guy is extremely well-versed in the history of the park, and we talk at length about a wide range of topics (meaning, we got off track a lot!). Guy is also a writer, and the co-host of the Drunk on Disney Podcast, and you should really subscribe and listen to it!
This week the show is all about YOU! The entire show is made up of your awesome #MuppetHaikus and emails, and all the Muppet pieces I could think of that relate to them. I had a great time putting the show together, so I hope you enjoy listening! (more…)
The New York wing of The MuppetCast (Jarrid and Teresa) takes over this week, presenting the audio from a recent screening event at the Museum of the Moving Image (MoMI). The event is called “