Above: John Tartaglia (center) with the live show’s talented voice cast Donna Kimball (Mokey) and Dan Garza (Jr. Gorg).
By Mary Ellen Mitchell
Photos courtesy Fraggle Rock
When he was just 16, John Tartaglia became a professional puppeteer for Sesame Street. Since then, the breadth of his performing art achievements has grown exponentially to include actor, singer, dancer, writer, producer, choreographer and director.
On Broadway, Tartaglia’s accolades include a Tony Award nomination for his dual performance as Princeton and Rod in the Tony Award-winning Avenue Q. He starred as Lumiere in Beauty and the Beast and originated Pinocchio and the Magic Mirror for Shrek the Musical.
For TV, Tartaglia created the series Johnny and the Sprites for the Disney Channel, which was nominated for eight Emmy Awards. Based on his off-Broadway musical ImaginOcean, he created Jim Henson’s Splash and Bubbles for PBS Kids, in which he starred as Splash. On Netflix, Tartaglia stars as Kip the Wallaby in Jim Henson’s Word Party and Hank in Julie’s Greenroom, with co-star Julie Andrews.
He directed acclaimed theatrical performances of Stephen Schwartz’s The Secret Silk, Jim Henson’s Inspired Silliness for Princess Cruises, as well as Jim Henson’s Dinosaur Train Live, Sid the Science Kid Live, Musical World at Carnegie Hall, and many shows at Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pa. He won best director for Claudio Quest at The Muny in St. Louis, the country’s oldest and largest outdoor theater.
Tartaglia is the writer, executive producer and puppet captain of Jim Henson’s Emmy Award-winning series Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock, which launched in 2021 as a reboot of the ‘80s Fraggle Rock TV show. In the modern-day version, which streams on Apple TV+, he performs Architect Doozer, Gunge, Barry Blueberry and Sprocket.
Every Sunday, he takes to the airwaves on SiriusXM’s On Broadway channel for his show Sunday Funday with John Tartaglia, spinning his favorite Broadway show tunes and tales.
O&A sat down with Tartaglia last month to talk about his latest creation, Fraggle Rock: Back to the Rock LIVE, which will come to The Grand on Sunday, April 27.
The theme “everyone belongs, everyone has value” is a Fraggle Rock theme that carries over to the live show.
O&A: How old were you when you realized you had the desire to become a puppeteer and work on Broadway, and what transpired to help make that dream a reality?
Tartaglia: I grew up in musical theater. My parents worked in show business, so I was always around performance and movement. I’ve enjoyed dance ever since I can remember. When I was about 7 or 8, I found the original Fraggle Rock show on TV, and I fell in love. I adored the puppetry, the characters, the music — everything. One day it clicked in my mind that it’s someone’s job to perform with their voice and arm to bring those beloved Fraggle characters to life. I was overcome with an instinctive, gut feeling that this is what I’m supposed to do.
So I wrote a letter to Jim Henson expressing my admiration for his work and aspirations of becoming a Sesame Street puppeteer. His secretary sent me back a beautiful PR kit, including a letter and autographed photo, which I treasure to this day.
About a year later, Jim was invited to be a guest on the Mickey Mouse Club show on TV, and the producers invited kids to audition for an opportunity to interview Jim on the show. Jim remembered my letter and submitted my name as a candidate. I tried out and made it to the final round, which was between me and one other kid, but I lost. About six months later, Jim passed away, and I was devastated. But when you’re a young person with a passion, it carries you.
As sad as I was following Jim’s death, I never gave up on
my dream to become a puppeteer on Sesame Street. I spent hours after school in the basement of the house where my mom and I lived in Bucks County, making puppets, puppeteering, and putting on shows for family. That’s all I wanted to do. What I didn’t know at the time was that Jim Henson was adamant about training and advancing the next generation of puppeteers.
Tartaglia says every little detail matters to the costume designers. The result is eye-popping colors and materials that bring the characters to life.
In the ensuing years, I became a fan of Jim’s Dinosaurs show, so I wrote to Kevin Clash, who performed Baby Sinclair on the show, and Elmo on Sesame Street, where he was also involved in casting. Kevin invited me to come to New York to watch a live episode of Sesame Street and meet the cast and crew. It was an incredible experience. On our lunch break, I asked Kevin, “Why did you call me?” and he said, “Jim used to talk about you.” I was floored.
Kevin later invited me to a few three-day Sesame Street workshops, which were really auditions, where I’d compete with 40 to 50 other puppeteers for opportunities. He identified that, while I had a lot to learn, I had the basic movement skills, so I earned part-time puppeteering roles on the show when I was 14.
I went on to become a professional Sesame Street puppeteer when I was 16, and after high school, moved to New York to work there full-time, which opened doors to opportunities on Broadway, which was another long-held dream of mine.
I’ve always felt a connection to Jim, which — while it didn’t begin in person — it did in another kind of ethereal way. You can never underestimate the power of finding just one person who believes in you.
O&A: Without giving away the storyline, what kind of messages does the live show convey?
Tartaglia: One Fraggle Rock theme that I’ve always cherished is that everyone belongs, and everyone has value. We’re all necessary. We just need to find what makes us special and contribute that to the world. Even when some family members and friends may drive us up the wall, we still accept their idiosyncrasies and love them regardless.
The live show builds on these themes, with an emphasis on community — how we all need to come together and celebrate one another’s contributions. We often don’t realize how much we need one another. We’re all connected. Something we do on this side of the planet can affect something on the other side.
O&A: I understand you created some new characters for the live show. How do you go about creating and refining them?
Tartaglia: Well, the designers at The Jim Henson Company Creature Shop are geniuses, and every idea is welcome. Jim was famous for his philosophy, “there’s no bad idea.” Working from a spirit of collaboration, we build on one another’s ideas. There’s never just one person calling all the shots. In fact, one of the original producers of Fraggle Rock used to say, “We’re all in service of the best idea.” I love that.
Also, because I grew up as a backstage kid, I learned at an early age that it’s not about you. Even if it’s a one-person show, there’s still someone who has to run the sound and someone who has to run the lights. Someone has to open the theater. It starts with an idea, but it takes many people with different talents and skillsets to come together and work to create something new.
O&A: From watching clips of the live show, it seems you’ve been able to transfer the tactile quality of the original characters and interplay of color and texture that’s so visually appealing. Is this something your designers strive for?
Tartaglia: What you’re noticing is that many of the materials for the live show are chosen for their ability to reflect light, which is what I call “The Yoda Effect.” In this age of technology, you can make anything on screen look super realistic, but there’s always this little part of your brain that knows it’s not real. When you look at Yoda in the original Star Wars films, the way the light hits the material shows all the wrinkles and shadows. And when Mark Hamill touches Yoda, you know he’s there, 100 percent. That same amazing thing happens with Fraggles (and Muppets). You can sense they’re real.
For the live show, the Fraggles were built for stage using many of the original materials, which is why it feels like a one-to-one ratio. They have that tangible quality. Our designers have so many meetings to discuss color, fabric, pattern — every little detail. They get all the well-deserved credit for that.
O&A: Out of all your many creative roles, do you have a favorite, and do you plan to pursue any one endeavor over another?
Tartaglia: I enjoy every opportunity, regardless of my role. When I look back at how much I wanted to be on Broadway when I was young, I would’ve been happy simply standing on stage as tree number seven. I’ve been incredibly lucky, but I also believe that when you have a grateful approach to life and a positive outlook, it begets more opportunities, and I enjoy them all. I’m really a kid at heart.
O&A: How do you approach creative writing in terms of your process?
Tartaglia: It depends on the project, but I tend to approach it one of two ways: Either I get it all out at once and then go back to refine it, or I work on it in the back of my mind while I’m doing other things, like walking my dog or spending time with friends. I know some writers who prefer to schedule one or two hours for writing every day, but that doesn’t work for me.
Sometimes I solve creative problems in that space between dreaming and sleeping, while I’m vaguely aware that I’m dreaming, yet I’m also in control somehow. As soon as I wake up, I know what I want to do.
O&A: When you get a chance to sit and watch one of the live shows, what aspect is most gratifying for you?
Tartaglia: There’s nothing more fulfilling than watching it all come together. I sat in the back row of a live show recently, and when I looked around and saw people reacting to the characters and laughing together, it brought me to tears.
I think the nicest compliments we’ve received so far are from those who appreciate the heart and soul that everyone involved has put into this show. For us — and for our fans — it’s more than just a show. It’s a world that reveals everything that was important to Jim. We knew this was a weighty undertaking because it’s the first time we’ve ever done a live version of Fraggle Rock, but it’s made and performed with so much passion, and when it all comes together, it’s magic.
— For tickets and more information, visit: TheGrandWilmington.org and FraggleRockLive.com
