Rob Lake saws his Broadway debut in half, Muppets and all

By Lindsay B. Davis

In between the first two illusions performed by Rob Lake in his Broadway debut, ROB LAKE MAGIC with Special Guests The Muppets, Kermit the Frog and friends take the stage in a big yellow taxi, then quickly disappear so Lake can get on with the show.

And while Miss Piggy would likely not have consented to being part of Lake’s century-old Selbit Illusion, in which a magician’s assistant is sawed in half, some may consider giving the Muppets second billing to a Vegas-style magic act to be Broadway blasphemy.

The show closes unexpectedly this Sunday and hasn’t even officially opened yet. Sluggish ticket sales, passionate internet objections to using The Muppets for such effect, and the production’s numerous technical glitches throughout previews (witnessed firsthand by this critic) haven’t helped.

Lake, a child of the 80s who gained popularity as an illusionist on America’s Got Talent, explains that The Muppets inspired him even before he found magic. Despite his obvious affection, the theatrical pairing is a mismatch.

Brief insertions from The Great Gonzo, Fozzie the Bear, and more Muppet characters steal the spotlight with nostalgic charm and Broadway puns (“Additional Material” by Kevin Zak, the brilliant mind behind Ginger Twinsies), further diminishing the illusions’ luster.

The bulk of the show consists of Lake’s mentalist work featuring audience participation, pleather-clad assistants, and a YouTube-style live cam to jumbo screen, plus a piercing score that gives late-80s Yanni. Meanwhile, the Muppets wait in the wings, their total stage time adding up to about ten minutes.

When the Prima Donna herself finally appears first via FaceTime and then onstage in a fabulous dressing room set she’ll never use, I’m going full-hog diva: Someone should get on the phone to Miss Piggy and apologize.

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Fast facts: ‘ROB LAKE MAGIC with Special Guests The Muppets’

Rob Lake’s Vegas-style magic show reduces The Muppets to a cameo in a mismatched Broadway debut that closes early. Someone owes Miss Piggy an apology.