Review: MOVIN' RIGHT ALONG Captures the Spirit of Jim Henson at The Green Room 42

I was born in the 1960s and so when Sesame Street premiered in 1969, I was its target demographic. I learned spelling, grammar, and simple life skills from Kermit, Cookie Monster, Big Bird, Snufflupagus, and Bert & Ernie. In fact at every stage of my life from childhood to old age, Jim Henson has had an influence, from The Muppet Show to Saturday Night Live to Star Wars, Dark Crystal to Fraggle Rock and all the movies including The Muppet Movie, The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Great Muppet Caper, Muppet Christmas Carol, and Muppet Treasure Island. Three generations of Americans have grown up with his creations, learning lessons about community, sharing, ingenuity, kindness, and in the case of Yoda, just being a general badass.

Jim Henson took disparate influences like Edgar Bergen, Kukla, Fran, & Ollie, and Bill Baird and created a more dynamic style of puppetry that has completely altered the art form. His muppets (a portmanteau of “marionette” and “puppet”) sprang from a tradition as old as Punch & Judy shows and brought it straight into a modern urban environment. They are equally prized by children and adults and even Henson’s death in 1990 has not diminished muppet mania. Avenue Q won the Tony Award and its actor puppeteers continue to create new muppet works including John Tartaglia’s work on a new Fraggle Rock and Johnny and the Sprites.

It was in this vein that Tyler Tafolla and his merry band of performer/muppeteers exploded onto the stage of the Green Room 42 last Friday with their show MOVIN’ RIGHT ALONG: AN ALL-STAR TRIBUTE TO Jim Henson. I should point out that these extremely talented performers are not affiliated with The Jim Henson Foundation or Jim Henson’s Creature Workshop. They are merely gifted young people with a love for Henson’s creations. That love is obvious in the show they have created. It is an hour of great fun.

They opened with a medley of muppet tunes, prominently featuring the Muppet Show Theme. This was followed by the funky “Movin’ Right Along” from The Muppet Movie with Tyler Tafolla and Jordan Brownlee as Kermit and Fozzy. Jordan, Emma Ianuzzi, and Jon Steiger gave us the early Muppet hit “Mah Na Mah Na” using the original fish-lipped Muppets. Emma gave us a quirky and endearing “ I Don’t Want to Live on the Moon,” followed by Tyler, Jordan, and Jon with “Fuzzy & Blue” a tribute to Grover and Cookie Monster.” Jordan gave a diva turn in “Stepping Out With a Star” with a tuxedoed singer while Tyler provided tap dancing with shoes on his hands.

Tyler and Kermit gave an introspective and very fine “Bein’ Green,’” one of the best songs in all of Muppetdom. Tyler and Jon gave us a modern Muppet classic with “Man or Muppet.” It was a soul-bearing, all-riffing showpiece. Jordan got the 11 o’clock number in “Right Where I Belong” dressed in full Fozzy drag. The show ended with the perennial Muppet anthem “The Rainbow Connection” before the entire company did an encore of “Sing.”

The show ran just under an hour. I personally would have sat for another 15 minutes in the company of this very charming ensemble. It was a delight to see a tribute show in which the performers were so well-versed in the work of the honoree. The show previously had a production in San Diego. I hope the next time they present it they will add a little extra material to delve further into the magic of Jim Henson.

The evening was supported by some excellent musicians. Peter Douskalis on guitar and banjo, Kat Cartusciello on bass, and Luke Woodle on drums are skilled and fun to watch. Music director Joshua Turchin provided rollicking arrangements and is a wonderful pianist. His work in “Bein’ Green” was particularly fine, filling the tune with some lovely jazz filigree. The band was the icing on an already rich dessert of an evening.

To learn more about Tyler Tafolla and MOVIN’ RIGHT ALONG, visit his website tylertafolla.com or follow him @tatafolla on Instagram.

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