Sometimes there’s a Muppet production that’s so odd, I wonder what we’ll be saying about it 10 years later. “Hey, remember that time Kermit the Frog was in a stage version of The Wizard of Oz for two weeks? What was that even about??” Yeah, that sounds about right.
Just announced, Kermit will be appearing in a live staged version of The Wizard of Oz (titled “The Winter of Oz”) as the titular Wizard this December. He’ll star alongside Tony winner Marissa Jaret Winokur as Glinda.
The Winter of Oz will be performed via the Lithgoe Family Panto company at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Los Angeles from December 14 through December 30. The show promises “family friendly magic, with a comedic twist, dancing, contemporary music, and more”.
Needless to say, this is an odd choice for Kermit. Coming off two successful live shows, we didn’t expect his next one to be a small role in a limited stage musical. It has a sense of “community theater” (not that there’s anything wrong with community theater… it just seems a little small for such a big star), though we’ll have to wait and see what The Winter of Oz has in store.
Besides, don’t they know how bad the Muppets’ last jaunt into the Wonderful World of Oz was?
Also noteworthy: In this production, Kermit will be playing the role of Oz, but Muppet fans know that Oz never performed Kermit. Think on that, folks.
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by Joe Hennes – Joe@ToughPigs.com
