One Little Star.

[The Count]

Well... Here's a bit of a birthday gift for everybody's favorite nagger/reader... Now how does that song go again? Eh, I'm sure my younger froggy sister will find it.
Part 14...

When the red curtains lifted, the Muppet Labs set was still there occupied by a taller scientist. He had his bottles and flasks set up on Rizzo's lab table, preparing an amusing concotion. The scientist turned towards the audience, delivering his signature greeting...

Dr. Phil van Neuter: A, E, I, O, U! Scared you didn't I? Yes, always!
Thank you... Dr. Phil van Neuter, your ... friendly veterinarian here.
Mr. Kermit invited me here to the show... And I thought I'd try mixing a few new potions... One And I was asked to recite the potion's recipe to the tune of a popular 1960's rock and roll song by The Searchers."

The music started up down in the orchestra pit as Phil van Neuter sang his heart out.
Phil van Neuter: "I took a trip down to see Madam Ruth.
You know, that gypsy with the gold-capped tooth?
She's got a pad down on 34th and Vine.
Selling little bottles of...
Love Potion #9.

I told her that I was a flop with chicks.
I've been this way since 1996.
She looked at my palm, then she made a magic sign.
She said what you need is...
Love Potion #9."

Phil van Neuter grabbed the two tubed flasks and slowly turned around from the table back to the audience, while singing...
She bent down, then turned around, and gave me a wink.
She said I'm gonna mix it up in the sink.
It smelled like turpentine and looked like Indian ink.
Phil then raised one of the flasks to his mouth: "I held my nose and closed my eyes... I took a drink!"

I didn't know if it was day or night.
I started kissing everything in sight.
Phil van Neuter raced around the labs set, almost bumping into Patrol Bear Fozzie.
But when I kissed a cop down on 34th and Vine.
He broke my little bottle of Love Potion #9.

A brief musical interlude played while Dr. Phil danced a stiff lanky sort of dance on the floor of the labs.
Grabbing the other tubed flask and lifting it to his lips, he sang again...
I held my nose and closed my eyes... I took a drink!

I didn't know if it was day or night.
I started kissing everything in sight.
But when I kissed a cop down on 34th and Vine.
He broke my little bottle of...
Love Potion #9.
Love Potion #9.
Love Potion #niiiine.
Love Potion Number... Nine.
Patrol Bear Fozzie swung his nightstick at the bottle, knocking it out of Phil's hand before escorting the mad scientist off of the stage.
Phil: "But I didn't do it! I was under the influence of a magic potion!"
He was still heard off-stage when the curtains finally came down ending the first act of the Muppets special show for the citizens of Hensonville.

 

[redBoobergurl]

Wow, I love that song! Of course, it will be stuck in my head all night, but oh well. It's a great tune! Good scene, could easily see it being played out! Great job Ed, looking forward to more!

 

[TogetherAgain]

<singing> Love potion number niiiiiine...

Great chapter, Count! And thank you. Everybody's favorite, am I? Oh, I'm honored!

 

[The Count]

*Special thanks to Sara for the song's lyrics.

Part 15...

Kermit approached the intercom hanging next to his desk in the Backstage playset... "Electric Mayhem, you're on stage next!"
Scooter: "Hey boss..."
Kermit: "What is it Scooter?"
Scooter: "Seems we have some extra guests wanting to get into the final number."
Kermit: "I'll deal with them later... Right now I have to go on stage and introduce the start of the second act."
Scooter: "OK chief..." The go-fer just wheeled off, still mounted on his skateboard.
Kermit: "Why he insists on using that skateboard, I'll never know. Shesh."

A female Muppet rushed into the audience's seats hunting down her old friend. The two hadn't had a chance to catch up yet, she only knew her boy was last working at KMUP Studios. She had purplish skin, red lips, a pair of shades over her eyes much like her son, and her dreadlocked hair was pulled back into a tight bun.
"Did I miss it? Hass my baby boy gone on stage yet?" she asked the red-haired bespectacled friend next to her.
Sadie: "No, he hasn't come on yet."
"He's dating your girl, isn't he Sadie?"
Sadie: "Yes, they're quite a cute couple..."
Kyle, overhearing them: "Yeah, but a couple of what?"
Sadie and Clifford's Mom frowned slightly before they let the joke die out.

Kermit: "And now ladies and gentlemen... Our own Electric Mayhem will perform one of their greatest hits... Can You Picture That? Yaeey!"
The curtains raised as Kermit flailed his arms about as best he could. The Electric Mayhem bandstage playset was now under the stage lights, its four spotlights afixed to the rigging around the drumkit. Animal started pounding out the beat from where he stood behind his drums. Floyd Pepper and Janice, with their guitars and amps were on both sides of the front of the set, Dr. Teeth had his keyboard set up to the left of Floyd behind him, Zoot and Lips were both wailing on their horns behind Janice, and even Clifford was there playing on his own customized bass guitar behind Dr. Teeth.

Dr. Teeth: "This song goes out to all the hep cats and kittens who've graced us here tonight with their patronage, and more importantly... With the melifluous flow of their money."
The band chuckled lightly before going into the song.

Dr. Teeth, playing his keyboard, the music coming from the unseen orchestra pit: "Ohhh yeah! Whooo!
Everybody's lover, everybody's brother, I wanna be your lifetime friend.
Crazy as a rocket, nothin in my pocket, I keep it at the rainbow's end.
I never think of money, I think of milk 'n honey, grinnin like a cheshire cat.
I focus on the pleasure, somethin' I can treasure, can you picture that?"

All: "Can you picture that?"

Dr. Teeth, spoken: "Hey, Floyd, take a verse!"

Floyd Pepper, belting out the tune on his bass guitar: "Let me take your picture, add it to the mixture, there it is I got you now!
Really nothin' to it, anyone can do it, it's easy and we all know how.
Now begins the changin', mental rearrangin', nothing's really where it's at."

Dr. Teeth: "Now the Eiffel Tower's holdin up a flower.
I gave it to a Texas cat!"

The band's music filled the auditorium to the delight of everybody in the audience.

Clifford, strutting forward playing a second bass guitar: "Fact is there's nothin out there you can't do
Yeah, even Santa Claus believes in you.
Beat down the walls, begin, believe, behold, begat."

Floyd, countering on his guitar: "Be a better drummer, be an up and comer. Can you picture that?"

Animal, mumbling while beating down the drums: "CAN YOU PICTURE THAT??!!"

Floyd: "All of us are winnin, pickin and a-grinnin, Lordy but I love to jam."

Janice, wailing away on her lead guitar: "Jelly-belly gigglin, dancin and a-wigglin, honey that's the way I am!"

Dr. Teeth, rocking the keys: "Lost my heart in Texas, Northern lights affect us, I keep it underneath my hat."

Clifford, coming back into groove: "Aurora Borealis, shinin down on Dallas! Can you picture that?"

All: "Can you picture that?"

Lips and Zoot were blowing on their respective instruments... Zoot not really paying attention to the little piece of paper on his music stand, just so long as his sax was in tune with the rest of the band. And Lips was providing some back-up riffs on his trumpet, making a rare appearance in his signature white puffy multi-colored dazzled shirt.

The band's members then started the chorus, as if they knew this song by heart.
Floyd and Janice harmonizing: "Can you picture? You gotta see it in your mind!"
Dr. Teeth: "Can you picture? You know it's quick and easy to find!"
Clifford: "Can you picture? You don't have to buy a frame!"
Zoot, stopping his sax for just the one line: "Can you picture?"
Lips, stopping his trumpet for his one line just after Zoot: "Can you picture that?"
Animal, loudly from behind the drums: "Can you picture that!"

Meanwhile, in the real theater's backstage area...
Eduardo: "OK Count, do a quick check to see if we're all here."
The Count obliged, happy he'd get to do what he loved most in the world...
Count: "There's only one of us missing."
Eduardo: "Who?"
Count: "Vell..."
Eduardo: "Oh, here he comes now... Well, that explains why he wasn't with..."

The band was finishing off the song, the last few notes lingering in the air as the entire theater was now positively charged throughout their performance.
Dr. Teeth, relaxing his music-making motions as Clifford took his place on the other side: "Use it if you need it."

Floyd, stepping in front next to Janice as they sang: "Don't forget to feed it!"

All: "Can you picture that?"

The band then launched into a psychadelic riff where all the instruments blended into one as the stagelight spiraled out of control, the lights and colors swirling before everybody's eyes as the last note eminated from the Muppets Show's rauckus houseband.

 

[TogetherAgain]

Can you get behind it? ...Fer surely!

GREAT chapter, Ed! Really looking forward to seeing what those folks in the real backstage are up to, but in the meantime, I just love this chapter!

 

[BEAR]

Awesome! I was just listening to that song before reading the chapter. Thanks, Ed!

 

[ReneeLouvier]

Oooh, awesome!!! I really love this story, Ed, it's just so freaking awesome!!!

 

[The Count]

Request time again... If anyone has and could please send me the lyrics to the song "Just An Old-Fashioned Love Song" recorded by Three Dog Night, I'd rully thank you.
Needed for the next musical number, can't progress the story without it. You'll see why when we get there.

 

[redBoobergurl]

This is so great Ed! I was so excited to see an update from you! I love how you created Clifford's mom! The EM number was perfect! Sadly, I don't have the lyrics for your next song, but I'm anxious to see how it plays out!

 

[The Count]

Thanks... Sara gets another nod when we get to that part, there's a sketch in between numbers.

And I didn't make up the character of Clifford's Mom. Through ongoing conversations with MuppetDude for the Muppet Listing, Clifford's Mom appeared in a non-vocal cameo in the last episode of Muppets Tonight, the Mother's Day episode with Darryl and Page Hannah.
Hope this helps.