FAIRY TALES FROM THE BROTHERS GRIMM

The Muppets take on the tales of the Brothers Grimm

Cast members of the original Muppet Show, from the stars to the obscure, run around in the prologue getting ready for a performance, much as they did on television in the 1970s. Miss Piggy demands a private dressing room. Gonzo crashes through the ceiling. Kermit and Scooter rush around helping and controlling. What follows when the curtain rises are 18 fractured fairy tales (and these are compound fractures). Fozzie stars in a gender-flipped “Little Red-Cap” called “Not-So-Little Red Cap,” his bad jokes well-represented. Miss Piggy is the put-upon daughter of the miller who must spin straw into gold for a greedy king (Dr. Teeth—three guesses where the gold will go) in “Unclestiltskin.” Janice makes a most excellent Rapunzel, and Kermit (of course) a chipper frog prince. Humor both wry and broad is in abundance, and there are plenty of one-liners aimed at adults, making this a nifty collection of stories to read together. Genially foolish illustrations precede every tale, and the original tale titles appear under the Muppetized ones.

It’s not hard to imagine that the Grimms are rolling over in their graves—with laughter.