I realize that Rule 63 doesn’t have anything to do with musical theatre, but it’s the closest thing to explaining the next two links:
The first is a faithful (ha!) rendition of Jesus Christ Superstar as sung in the style (and voices) of The Muppets while the second is a Muppet-ized version of the Rocky Horror Picture Show: the lyrics remain the same but the tunes are all different, while still featuring Muppet voices.
I think it’s obvious but neither one of these are officially related to The Muppets, RHPS or JCSS, but they do point to the enduring intersection of The Muppets and music, especially Broadway-style music. The original Muppet Show had more than it’s fair share of stage talent: Carol Channing, Joel Grey, Julie Andrews, Ethel Merman, Bernadette Peters & Liza Minelli among others.
If you’re keen on the RHPS angle beyond those audio-only excerpts, here’s a YouTube video in a more literal vein (a la JCSS):
Of course, if you’re really into the idea of The Muppets & RHPS, you won’t mind cosplaying that crosses over between the two.
Whatever you’re in to, you can’t deny that The Muppets make the perfect pairing to Broadway musicals. By the way my own personal Rule 63 is this: If it has music in it, someone will eventually record themselves singing it in the voice of a Muppet.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to sing The Time Warp as though I were Kermit the Frog. 😉
Bandcamp downloads available here:
Muppet Christ Superstar on Bandcamp
Tom Smith Live at LibertyCon 2010 (Rocky Horror Muppet Show excerpts)