The lights were lit and the music played in the Muppet Theatre once more this year. But before the curtain opened on Kermit the Frog in an episode of television for the first time in 10 years, the show had to be put together — by the humans behind the characters. Simultaneously a nod to the classic “Muppet Show,” which ran from 1976 to 1981, and something entirely new to this era of the beloved characters, “The Muppet Show” special starring Sabrina Carpenter notched six Emmy nominations, including production design (variety special), character voice-over performance for Matt Vogel as Kermit the Frog and writing for a variety special.
The Muppets have bowed in various formats over the years (films, TV specials and even the World Cup Final halftime show this summer). Putting on a Muppet show is always an elaborate production involving angles, runways, monitors and sets that make the audience forget that these are puppets. That’s where production designer Denise Pizzini steps in.
Her first foray into building for the Muppets was a decade ago, when she notched an Emmy nomination for “The Muppets” series. She’s familiar with the insider tricks of building in the Muppet Theatre: how to set up boxes and risers to even out the height of performers and humans, the 36-inch height standard for walkways for guest stars like Carpenter above Muppet performers and their monitors hidden on the ground. Around this infrastructure, Pizzini and her team reconstructed the original Muppet Theatre, from the iconic arches to the filigree to the safety curtain with the door Kermit pops out of in the opening sequence.
For original Muppet fans, Vogel hopes “it feels, it smells, it looks, it sounds, it acts and it just feels like the original show.” The Muppets as a brand are something uniquely familiar to generations. Part of being a Muppet performer, Vogel says, is paying homage to the soul of the original character and performer (in his case, Muppet creator Jim Henson himself). Part of it is imbuing a little personal flair to create an authentic representation of a modern Kermit.
The familiarity of the characters is something writer Albertina Rizzo kept in mind, too. Kermit wouldn’t say YOLO; internet vocabulary doesn’t fit with the Muppets. Rizzo took inspiration from “Saturday Night Live” and variety shows of the 1970s.
There’s a sensibility to Muppet comedy that speaks to her background in late-night television, where the revolving door of guests necessitates different styles. A Miss Piggy joke wouldn’t work for Kermit, and vice versa. One thing universal across the Muppets is a certain kind of goofy, physical humor.
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