Muppets at the Museum of the Moving Image

Upon hearing that the Museum of the Moving Image was going to have a Jim Henson exhibit all about the Muppets, I could not wait to go. In fact, when I found out that the opening day would include a screening of the Muppet Movie and a Q and A with a Muppets writer, I knew how I'd be spending my Saturday! I got there early and went straight to Jim Henson's Fantastic World before the movie. It was really neat seeing a film I grew up with in a theater and hearing people laugh along with something that I know so well. Craig Shemin, former Jim Henson Company staff writer and current secretary on the Board of Directors of The Jim Henson Legacy,  led the Q and A and did a great job. Ever wanted to know how a scene was done? He knew. He was also giving out books to people as they asked questions, and I got one! You want to know something funny? On the first Saturday that I planned to do absolutely nothing Broadway related, he turns to someone in the audience and says, "Will you help me pass these out? Everybody, this is my wife Stephanie D'Abruzzo!" So, I was handed my muppets book by Broadway's Stephanie D'Abruzzo  (Avenue Q)! After the talk, I went and explored the rest of the museum. They had a sound room where you could dub yourself into movies (I became Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz), an area where you could record yourself on the movie wall (turns video into flipbook), and a workstation where you could create a stop motion movie. If you are ever in Astoria, check it out!