Stephen Sondheim - Blog Posts

Coming back to this because these are all the other musicals that should be recast with muppets:

1. Rent

Everyone is a muppet except the evil landlord, self explanatory, done. (I don’t know enough about rent to cast this one tbh but I think Scooter would be an excellent mark)

2. The Phantom of the Opera

The count is the phantom (join me in a fantasy world where the muppets and Sesame Street gang cross over- or it could also just be Gonzo I guess I like the idea of him as a homewrecker) miss piggy is Christine, kermit is raoul and the only humans are Meg and her mother. Additional cast members could be scooter as the stage manager, per the usual, Fozzie Bear as that one Italian opera singer but instead of singing he just wants to tell his jokes, Gonzo as Carlotta in a wig and statler and Waldorf as themselves heckling the opera

3. Jesus Christ Superstar

Hear me out ok, this one may be controversial, but miss piggy is Jesus, the slightly jaded, undeniable star of the show, and kermit is Judas, undeniably in love with her, but tired of her hogging the spotlight and feels she’s turned her back on what the muppets are really about. Beaker is Peter because he also looks like he would nope out when shit goes down and deny miss piggy, and Mary Magdalene should be played by renowned Broadway actress Philips Sousa because I just think that would be really cool if she hasn’t already played that role

4. Sweeney Todd

In which the animal plays unhinged sweeney todd, judge Turpin is Sam the eagle, miss piggy is Johanna, kermit is Anthony, and miss Lovett is played by Janice, who while I think lacks the manic energy needed for the role, would be a good chilled out foil to animal and bring a new flavour to the character of the crazy character who’s so deluded they make their actions seem almost sane

5. Little Shop of Horrors

I’m sorry I know I keep casting them as the two leads but kermit and miss piggy were born to play Audrey and Seymour, it is a pair that cannot be topped. The only change this makes to the original is that we all know miss piggy takes no shit so I think the stuff with the dentist (still played by Steve Martin because you can’t improve upon perfection) is a misinterpretation and she actually beats the ever living shit out of him for disrespecting her. Rizzo the rat should play the slimey businessman who buys Audrey Two, Statler and Waldorf are collectively mr mushnik, the chorus should also be human but I think the piece de resistance would be the Swedish chef as Audrey two and all the world is his chicken, and all the world should be deeply, deeply, afraid.

Tell me in the comments if I missed anyone or you have any casting ideas yourself!!

This has definitely been pitched before, but petition for a remake of les miserables where everyone is a muppet except Javert

If you need a reminder we’re in the darkest timeline look no further than the outline of the adaption of into the woods we could have had back in the 90s

This version also would have had all the creatures in the movie played by puppets made by the Jim Henson company.

WE WERE F@*%#<€$¥ING ROBBED

i wish we’d gotten more dialogue between the assassins cause this shit is hilarious. they all hate each other so much lmao

A couple weeks ago, I found out that my university’s library has a copy of the original Assassins script book (1990). Tomorrow’s my last class of the year, so before I have to turn it in, I thought I’d pick some things out to share with y’all.

This is in the intro. Someone describing a moment in the depository scene that isn’t in the 2004 revival.

The character descriptions are just the descriptions of their assassination attempts.

Sorry, but Booth reading Variety is incredibly funny to me.

Just this whole bit. I love the way it’s written. Booth is trying very hard to ignore the Balladeer. The soldier getting shot is not in the revival.

In the 2004 revival, the Proprietor is the one who interrupts the song. In the original, Byck introduced the other national anthem. And while I can’t deny that I think the Proprietor is probably better suited to this solo, I think Byck is an interesting choice. It’s probably just a continuation of his monologue from the scene before, but still…

Terrifying.

I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again: By the end of the depository scene, Booth is in the Balladeer's position. He represents the new American Dream, the other national anthem. Oswald is now in Booth's previous position as the group's pioneer.

Hinckley admires Oswald; that’s in line with his character. Moore is the first to bring up family; she’s a mother. But Czolgosz respects Oswald. Guiteau and Booth envy him. Interesting choices for the only other successful assassins. Czolgosz I get. Guiteau I get. But Booth, envious? Interesting.

This one needs no explanation. But I do think it’s worth mentioning that after all the talk of family, when Oswald pulls the trigger, he’s still alone.

Also from the intro. Thoughts on the assassins and Sondheim’s motivations.

It’s just a really good show, y’all.

Thinking about Anthony Hope from Sweeney Todd

KENDALL ROY: Being Alive

darrencriss: Although “Do I Hear A Waltz?” was a somewhat famously troubled working experience for Sondheim, it was nonetheless the first show I ever did of his when I was 11 years old. It was the first time I would have ever really gotten familiar with any of his work, and as a result, a lasting fondness for it was instilled in me- despite his own rocky relationship with that particular material. ⁣

Being part of that musical would set me on a lifelong path of admiring his extraordinary body of work, inspiring me in my own path as a creator- one that would not only lead me to getting to work with him myself one day, but actually getting to thank him for working on that little show he had regrets about; had he not done it, I wouldn’t have been standing there talking to him. ⁣

It was one of the most meaningful experiences of my life as an artist.⁣

Stephen Sondheim’s influence was immeasurable in his own life and times, and now that he has passed, that monumental legacy will only continue to bloom through the ages. His name is synonymous with the art form he so brilliantly redefined, and his work has changed the lives of countless audiences around the world. I am so grateful to have been part of that audience while he was alive. He will live on forever as one of the greatest contributors to not only the American Theater, but American Culture. ⁣

So I thought on this day I’d thank him once more for that wonderful contribution he made to my own life with words from the final song of that same show I did when I was just a little boy embarking on a life in the theater, aptly titled, “Thank You So Much.”

chriscolfer: Thank you for sharing your music, Mr. Sondheim. 💔 [posted to instagram Nov 26, 2021]

My favorite thing about Sweeney Todd is that Sweeney gets into the killing-and-baking people business because he’s a deeply broken man destroyed by an unjust and corrupt system that cost him his freedom and family and has been driven mad by revenge.

And Mrs Lovett does it because somthin wrong with her <3

happy new yuri i mean year

that wouldn't be too painful, would it? 🎥 @theriddletrades

rip :(