"Why do we always come here? I guess we'll never know..." - Statler and Waldorf in The Muppet Show theme
The Best of The Muppet Show featuring Diana Ross, Brooke Shields, and Rudolph Nureyev DVD Review
By Jonathan Boudreaux
For more information on the background of The Muppet Show, please read the review of The Best of The Muppet Show with Elton John, Julie Andrews, and Gene Kelly.
The latest edition in the Best of the Muppet Show series presents three totally dissimilar guests - a glamorous Motown diva, a child actress who didn't let anything get between her and her Calvins, and a ballet superstar. This eclectic group does have one thing in common, though: they each appeared in particularly strong episodes of The Muppet Show.
Former Supreme Diana Ross is the first guest. The show begins with an "I Go to Rio" musical number performed by a group of sunbathing parrots, lizards, crocodiles, sharks, and - in true Muppet style - penguins. Ross performs her disco era hit "Love Hangover" with a stage full of incredible-looking oversized Muppets. These Muppets - which Brian Henson introduces as the tallest ever created - literally tower over Ross. The Gills Brothers, a quartet of singing fish, attempt to perform next, but the Ross-mad crowd pelts the act with garbage before attacking them with forks and tartar sauce. In an attempt to win back the audience, Kermit schedules an especially explosive episode of "Pigs in Space." Dr. Honeydew's shrieking assistant Beaker joins the band to sing a surreal, not exactly crowd pleasing version of "Feelings." Ross wins the audience back with a swinging "Rain or Shine." Ross ends the show with "Reach Out and Touch."
Ross exhibits an easy rapport with the Muppets. In recent years, Ross has become a walking (or staggering) punchline thanks to her extreme diva-like behavior and her D.U.I. arrest, but this half hour is an excellent reminder of her range of talent.
In the second show, 15 year old Brooke Shields appears in a Muppet takeoff on Alice in Wonderland. Kids and adults are sure to delight in this cleverly goofy, well-produced half hour. All of the Muppets take on various Alice characters: stoner Floyd as the hooka-smoking Caterpillar, Statler and Waldorf as Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum, Gonzo as the Mad Hatter. Fozzie dresses as the Tin Man.because he thinks they are doing Peter Pan. After a fun opening number that introduces the show's concept as Shields falls through the rabbit hole, Humpty Dumpty shows up for his pun-filled "These are the Yolks, Folks" musical number. Dr. Teeth - as the Cheshire Cat - sings a medley of "smile" songs. The subsequent "Jabberwocky" sequence with Scooter features amazing puppet effects. At the trial (Kermit is forced to jump to the end of the show when Shields begins to grow and shrink uncontrollably), Judge Marvin Suggs uses his trusty hammer to "play" the jury like a musical instrument. With Shields back at a normal size, the show segues into the delightfully funny tea party in which a still confused Fozzie leads the gang in a closing number featuring the song "Off to See the Wizard" from The Wizard of Oz.
All in all, this is an unusually strong episode. Almost every episode of The Muppet Show has a segment or two that feels like filler. With its drawing-like sets, excellent script, and a winning performance by Shields, however, this one is pure entertainment from start to finish.
Renowned dancer Rudolph Nureyev appears on this DVD's final episode. Dr. Teeth and the band start off the show with a "classy" minuet that quickly devolves into a rock-and-roll blowout. When a swaggering Nureyev is kicked out of the theatre by Sam the Eagle, Kermit is forced to send "filler" out onto the stage: Miss Piggy and Link Heartthrob singing a Wagner love duet. Their performance begins innocently enough, but soon fists are flying faster than notes. Nureyev's first number is "Swine Lake" in which he dances with an enormous human-sized pig who makes Hee Haw's Lulu look like Twiggy. This is slapstick, gravity defying fun. An amusing (yet touching) song about a man who is incomplete without his girlfriend is up next, followed by a Shakespeare-themed "Veterinarian's Hospital." Nureyev (wearing only a towel) and Miss Piggy then sing "Baby It's Cold Outside" while in a steam room.with Miss Piggy playing the part of pursuer. Nureyev is no singer, but he wears a towel well. Rowlf attempts to perform a piano number but is foiled by Fozzie's attempts to provide him with a candelabrum. For the show's finale, Nureyev has a go at a Broadway song-and-dance number.
Nureyev is a surprisingly game host. Sure, none of the other segments can compare to "Swine Lake," but that one number is so strong that it helps to elevate the others.
The three episodes are included on a single DVD which is housed in a white keepcase. Viewers can play all episodes from the main menu or choose individual episodes.
