Decorating Pages

How do you bring back one of television’s most beloved environments when almost none of the original scenery or plans still exists?Emmy-nominated Production Designer Denise Pizzini and Set Decorator Bethany Barton reveal how their team recreated the original Muppet Theatre for the Disney+ special The Muppet Show.Using screenshots, extensive research and one surviving drawing of Kermit’s backstage office, they reconstructed the theatre’s architecture, auditorium, backstage spaces, practical lighting and decades of beautifully controlled clutter.Denise and Bethany explain the hidden engineering required to design simultaneously for Muppets, puppeteers and human performers—from elevated stages and hollow counters to removable chair backs, adjustable furniture and performer pits.They also take us inside Sabrina Carpenter’s glittering cowboy bar, Miss Piggy’s Bridgerton-inspired ballroom, the Bayou musical number and Gonzo’s practical stunt set with real fire and sparks.It’s a detailed look at nostalgia, scale, fa