Muppets in Moscow, Natasha Lance Rogoff
Muppets in Moscow, Natasha Lance Rogoff
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Muppets in Moscow
The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia

Author: Natasha Lance Rogoff

Narrator: Emily Lahey Shoov

Unabridged: 10 hr 59 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/17/2022

Synopsis

After the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s, the timing appeared perfect to bring Sesame Street to millions of children living in the former Soviet Union. With the Muppets envisioned as ideal ambassadors of Western values, no one anticipated just how challenging and dangerous this would prove to be.In Muppets in Moscow: The Unexpected Crazy True Story of Making Sesame Street in Russia, Natasha Lance Rogoff brings this gripping tale to life. Amid bombings, assassinations, and a military takeover of the production office, Lance Rogoff and the talented Moscow team of artists, writers, musicians, filmmakers, and puppeteers remained determined to bring laughter, learning, and a new way of seeing the world to children in Russia, Ukraine, and across the former Soviet empire. With a sharp wit and compassion for her colleagues, Lance Rogoff observes how cultural clashes colored nearly every aspect of the production—from the show’s educational framework to writing comedy to the new Russian Muppets themselves—despite the team’s common goal.Brimming with insight and nuance, Muppets in Moscow skillfully explores the post-Soviet societal tensions that continue to thwart the Russian people’s efforts to create a better future for their country. More than just a story of a children’s show, this book provides a valuable perspective of Russia’s people, their culture, and their complicated relationship with the West that remains relevant even today.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Krista on May 31, 2022

On the overnight flight from New York to Moscow, the atmosphere feels carnivalesque, with everyone wanting a piece of this new Russia, whether that involves money, sex, democracy, or the salvation of lost souls. And now I’ve joined this cabal plotting to alter Russia’s future. But my alchemy is n......more

Goodreads review by Kevin on March 01, 2023

Girl. Girl. What the hell was this fucking book? Can someone get me back 12 hours? I feel like I just fell into a livejournal from 2005? I don't know what this book is but I know it wasn't it. Do you know what I wanted? I wanted an adventure in cross-cultural exploration. I wanted to look at post-sovi......more

Goodreads review by Angeliki on March 08, 2023

I was looking forward to a deep explanation of an interesting case study for Muppets debuting in post-soviet Russia in the 90s. The political atmosphere and economic uncertainty of how this show was going to be funded is enough material to flesh out this book. I read in the acknowledgements that the......more

Goodreads review by Steven on October 14, 2022

As a grandfather of five all under the age of four I have become refamiliarized with Sesame Street. Grover, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert, Ernie, and the gang dominated my household when my children were growing up and now I find myself reengaged as my grandchildren have become transfixed. When I c......more

Goodreads review by Jason on January 20, 2023

Full disclosure: I started this book because a wife of a friend gave it to me. Further disclosure: I continued and finished the book because it was exciting and interesting and insightful from beginning to end. (I listened to most of it on Audible.) Natasha Lance Rogoff was recruited to executive prod......more

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