Part of the magic of Fraggle Rock is that you could potentially find a Fraggle hole anywhere. There could be one in your uncle’s workshop or at your local Arby’s or in your very own basement. It’s what makes Fraggle Rock feel real, and ultimately like you’re a part of the magic. Unfortunately, the realists among us know that it’s just a TV show, so the idea of seeing a Fraggle in real life isn’t actually possible.
Until now! (Saw that one coming, didn’t you?)
Fraggle Rock LIVE kicked off its cross-country tour earlier this month, and it’ll be hitting 48 cities throughout the US and Canada through May. I took a trip out to Las Vegas to see Fraggle Rock LIVE for myself. (I was a little impatient and didn’t want to wait for it to reach my neck of the woods. Sometimes you’ve got to use some airline miles to find the magic.)
Before seeing the show, I had some trepidation about a live Fraggle Rock show, which had never been done before. The full-bodied costumes (more on that in a moment) felt reminiscent of the Sesame Street Live shows, which gave me the subconscious expectation that it might be a little too kiddie for my tastes. Not that that’d be inappropriate for a Fraggle show, but I’m a grown adult who writes for a website for adult-aged Fraggle fans. I can only review and enjoy the show on my own terms, and I didn’t want it to be, well, not for me.
I was very pleased to see that my fears were completely unfounded. Fraggle Rock LIVE’s greatest achievement is managing to capture the feeling of Back to the Rock and replicate it on stage. The show has the same type of story, the same multi-layered humor, and the same awe-inspiring performances (though that last one is actually quite different). Honestly, I’m impressed as to how much it felt like I was watching a real episode of Fraggle Rock right in front of my face.
The story of Fraggle Rock LIVE – which I’ll keep to the most minimal of spoilers – involves the Fraggle Five traveling through the Rock to collect pieces of the Celebration Stone which, once reassembled, will bring the titular celebration to Fraggledom. Sure, it’s basically just a series of MacGuffins, but the simple story makes for a lot of opportunities for new locations, different species (both old and new), and lots and lots of songs.
Like, seriously, there’s a TON of music. Those Fraggles take any chance they’ll get to hum a few bars. The songs are all from the show, with most from the original Fraggle Rock and a few from Back to the Rock. I most definitely found myself bopping along or mouthing the words to every one of them. It was like watching a Fraggle Rock concert, complete with a ton of choreography and all sorts of visual excitement.
Let’s talk about a few of those visuals. The characters are all sized up, so the Fraggles are body suits, the Doozers are hand puppets, and Junior Gorg is represented by just his giant hand entering from offstage. (There are more surprises, but you know, spoilers and all.) The Fraggle designs are terrific, though my only complaint about them is in some of the puppet functionality. The mouths seem to be controlled by the performer through a trigger in their hands, and while it works most of the time, it seems to be too difficult to handle all of that timed dialog while also performing the body and handling all of that choreography. A minor complaint for sure, but I’ve got to have at least one!
While there’s a lot happening on the stage, the show also utilizes a backdrop screen that works to expand the environments and include a lot more characters. So although we don’t get to see on-stage representations of some of our favorites like Traveling Matt, The Storyteller, and Pogey, they’re still part of the show on the screen. It’s a smart way to include everyone and everything we normally see in an episode of Fraggle Rock, but without needing to fill the stage or build the costumes for every one of them.
As for the writing, the script got all sorts of loud and vocal reactions from the audience. Kids especially were laughing a lot at the silly Fraggles, but the adults were loving it too. A lot of that was thanks to Boober, who – beyond his quips about laundry and wanting to avoid danger – spoke on behalf of the audience a lot. In once instance, he makes a subtle reference to another classic Jim Henson production, at which I believe I was the only one who laughed. But the moral here is that the show has something for everyone, even fanatics like us.
I know I’m doing a lot of raving about this show, but I’m just in love with the modern era of Fraggle Rock, and the live show has proven to be a highly entertaining extension of Back to the Rock. I only hope that the top brass at Apple TV saw what I saw – a fun and expansive experience that showcases the potential for what the Fraggle Rock brand is capable of. And if they were there, hearing an audience full of kids and adults alike clapping along to the Fraggle Rock theme song, I don’t know how they couldn’t jump at the chance to renew the series for a third season.
Fraggle Rock LIVE dates, locations, and tickets can be found on FraggleRockLive.com.
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by Joe Hennes – [email protected]
