New York City
As we get into the dog days of Tony season, with all the press junkets and luncheons behind us, we start to get a little stir crazy in anticipation of the big day (June 7). In the midst of all the madness, we got to thinking: What if the stars of the 2014-2015 Broadway season were actually Muppets? It might look a little something like this.
Tony Yazbeck in On the Town — Kermit the Frog
There is no performer with a Kermit-ier soul this season than On the Town's Tony-nominated star Tony Yazbeck. As he walks the streets of New York City singing his third encore of "Lonely Town," you pray that just once the nice guy will catch a break. After all, it's not easy being green…especially in Manhattan.
Tyne Daly in It Shoulda Been You — Miss Piggy
Judy Steinberg, Tyne Daly's character in the Broadway musical It Shoulda Been You, is pretty much Miss Piggy made flesh. Both are beautiful ladies who know how to take control in a relationship and can occasionally (always) be brash and insensitive. In real life, though, Tyne and Piggy are practically opposites. Piggy wouldn't be caught dead in Tyne's enormously practical portable pockets.
Brad Oscar in Something Rotten! — Fozzie Bear
They're both super hairy and their humor is super cheesy. We're sure if Fozzie Bear applied himself, he'd be able to get a nightly mid-show standing ovation, like Brad Oscar does as Nostradamus in Something Rotten!
Annaleigh Ashford in You Can't Take It with You — Gonzo
At first glance, Tony nominee Annaleigh Ashford and Gonzo the Great might seem like an odd pairing. Annaleigh is a blonde bombshell, while Gonzo is famously unclassifiable (he looks kind of like a buzzard and is generally referred to as a "whatever"…but is apparently an alien?). But it's just that weird streak that makes Gonzo Annaleigh's perfect analog. Here's proof (SPOILER: It's Annaleigh dressed in a silver bodysuit and singing Alanis Morissette).
Micah Stock in It's Only a Play — Beaker
Tall, lanky, and prone to faux pas, Tony nominee Micah Stock's coat check attendant Gus in Terrence McNally's comedy can barely hold it all together, much like Beaker in a laboratory.
Kristin Chenoweth in On the Twentieth Century — Janice
Sure, Janice may have a little more alto timber and a stronger affinity for mellow jams than Broadway's resident diva, but she and Kristin share more than just a hair color. They've both got mad soul.
Bill Nighy in Skylight — Sam Eagle
I mean, sure, Bill Nighy is English. But if he weren't, it's pretty obvious he'd be a patriotic, blue American eagle. Nighy and Sam Eagle share an intrinsic gravitas that leaves you with feelings you haven't "felt" for anyone since your terrifying but surprisingly sexy ninth-grade American history teacher.
Sydney Lucas in Fun Home — Skeeter
As the baby of this year's Broadway season, it's only right that Sydney Lucas' colorful counterpart is Muppet Baby Skeeter. Like her Fun Home character, Skeeter is a lovable tomboy with a snazzy mop of reddish hair. She also happens to be the twin sister of Scooter, who rocks a pretty fantastic set of specs like Sydney's Broadway bro Jake.
Jason Alexander and Larry David in Fish in the Dark — Statler and Waldorf
Of course TV's two greatest curmudgeons — Statler and Waldorf — are the equivalent of TV's other two greatest curmudgeons — Seinfeld and Fish in the Dark's Jason Alexander and Larry David. Not only do they hate everything and everyone, but they also look alike.