Book #28: “Muppets in Moscow” by Natasha Lance Rogoff

 

Muppets In Moscow

Natasha Lance Rogoff

 Released: October 17th, 2022

Book #28 complete for the year, “Muppets in Moscow” by Natasha Lance Rogoff.  This book was recommended to me by an amazing friend who teaches at a university in Kentucky.  She read it, and found it interesting and had me check it out.  I grew up watching Sesame Street, and seeing how Natasha worked to bring it to a post-Soviet Russia is a tale of stress, danger, unpredictable circumstances, life events, and various cultural differences.  Here are some things I learned:

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The Soviet Union fell December 26th, 1991.

This books serves as a memoir than an official account.

Then senator Joe Biden led congressional support for an international Sesame Street.

Natasha Lance Rogoff was a journalist assigned to bring “Ulitsa Sezam” (Sesame Street) to Russian television.

Moscow’s airport Sheremetyevo 2 was filled with potholes, and in rough shape back in Spring 1993.

The Sesame Workshop is located on West 64th and Broadway in NYC.

Russian Sesame Street was given a budget of $6-10 Million dollars.  An enormous sum to develop something in a restarted country.

The first rule of doing business in Moscow is identifying a local you can trust.

Moscow’s roads radiate outward from the Kremlin in concentric circles with intersecting streets.

Security guards asked for passports at local Moscow hotels in the immediate post-Soviet era.

One of the biggest challenges was, despite funding being secured, the US government would only release it once a Russian partner and broadcast had been identified.

People in Russian broadcasting were not trustworthy.  A signed deal meant nothing was guaranteed.

The team separates into 2 groups.  One to court potential corporate sponsors, and the other to find a television network executive who would agree to air the show.

The Soviet Union had 11 time zones.

As the efforts in Moscow drudged on, Rogoff was sent to Tijuana, Mexico to study how the show is created internationally.

According to Leonid, there is a Russian Proverb: “Laughing for no reason is a sign of stupidity.”

Ulitsa Sezam is projected to consist of a first season with 52 half-hour episodes broadcast over a 2-year period, with an option for a 2nd season 2 years later.

Back in NYC, Natasha has her first date with Ken.  They come from very different background and it goes awkward at first.

She later receives a call from Leonid saying Berezovsky has been the victim of a cat bombing, and nobody knows if he is dead or alive.

Turns out, Berezovsky has survived the bombing and fled to Europe, but cannot be reached.

He had just authorized $3 million to the Ulitsa Sezam project.

Natasha falls in love with Ken, and they seem to be perfect for one another.

USAID agrees to train the Russian team in NYC, so Natasha must fly back to Moscow, and assemble the production team.

They encounter Midhat Shilov, the director of cultural programming.  He has a scarred past, but has developed reasonably well.

He loads a gun and aims it at his assistant.  While Natasha and Leonid are a bit startled, the assistant just casually pushed the gun aside.  That shows just how violent Moscow was back then - when a loaded gun is pointed at you, and it’s just another Tuesday morning…

Natasha’s meeting with Lida Shurova, Sergei Novikov, and Piotr Sidorenki, a television writer and 2 directors goes poorly as they do not respond well to an American style show.  They lean pro-Communist and criticize the American puppets.

“I need to take a moment and get my emotions under control. I get that for television writers like Lida, the ground has shifted dramatically since the collapse of communism. As a state television employee, shed earned a steady salary under communism while churning out programs that both entertained and indoctrinated TV audiences. But the recent partial privatization of television has decimated state television subsidies, along with job security, social status, and incomes.  Many of the television professionals remaining at Ostankino are relics of the Soviet era, terrified to take risks or explore opportunities in Russia's new independent media industry. I imagine they feel betrayed, having lost not only their steady salary but also their sense of purpose. Of course, they don't take kindly to an American showing up proposing a totally new angle on children's television.”

“Everything’s possible with American dollars.” - Midhat Shilov

As the group debates the offer, Kolya Komov, a celebrated Russian puppet designer and performer comes in to meet the group.  He demands that his puppets be used instead.  He pulls some from his bag and spontaneously enacts a scene where a male puppet beats a female pulled and threatens to kill her.

The talks move from featuring Petrushka, a puppet who beats people, to Baba Yaga, a nasty witch who eats children.

2 days later, Lida, Sergei, and Piotr agree to become Ulitsa Sezam’s head writer, live-action director, and creative director.

“As we roll through the city passing buildings in various states of disrepair and construction, I think about how Moscow is a city of façades, where illusion and reality intersect in the unlikeliest places. It's not easy to tell what's real.  This breakneck pace of change makes it impossible to judge the legitimacy of individuals or organizations. Overnight, people go from rags to riches without anyone understanding where their wealth came from. It's like living in a giant candy store where the owner left the door open and whoever walks in first gets to steal all the sweets.”

In Russia, personal relationships are essential in any business deal.

A meeting with businessmen in Moscow ends with an agreement in principle to fund Ulitsa Sezam, but is nixed by Sesame Workshop in NYC because the businessmen are not reputable and could be a huge liability.

After heading back to America, feeling defeated, Natasha receives an excited call from Leonid.  He has found a new investor in Irina Borisova, the owner of Video Art, one of Russia’s Too Ten Media Firms.

Leonid seems hellbent on showing Irina the financial advantage of working with them.  She silenced him, and speaks with Natasha.

She lets her know that’s she is not investing in this for the money, but rather for her 8-year old daughter.

The next day, they receive a call that Irina was impressed by Natasha and has authorized the investment of several billion rupees, matching the multi-millions the US government is fronting.

The group meets with Vlad Listyev, the new executive director in charge of the television network.  He announces that in 2 months, advertising will be banned on his network.  A puzzling development.

During a late night phone call, Ken mentions a few surprises he left Natasha in her suitcase.  Since she hasn’t unpacked, she did not notices the letters confessing his love for her.

“Auto-racing in Perm is not as competitive as your American NASCAR.  You win if your car starts.”  - Mikhail “Misha, colleague of Irina.

The Moscow Times is a popular English-language newspaper in Russia

There is no word in the Russian lexicon for “employee training”.

The first song ever recorded for Ulitsa Sezam was “Ruki Pomoi” (“Washing Hands”).

Vlad Listyev, the head of ORT, and the seemingly new face of Russian media is assassinated in cold blood, returned to his apartment one night.

Aeroflot is Russia’s national airline.

Natasha brings the Russian team to New York which is an incredible experience (in good ways and bad due to cultural norms).

Russian friendship means never saying no.

Natasha is infuriated when Leonid agrees to take Midhat illegally across state lines to gamble in Atlantic City.  (Midhat’s visa only allows him to be in New York).

Soviet society included more than 120 distinct ethnic groups.

When the team arrives in Harlem, they are in Limos as opposed to the rented vans due to a mixup.  The Russians are intrigued to see a school of dark-skinned children.  On the other side of the coin, seeing a group of Russians in Harlem is unusual.

The meeting between the kids and the Russian team is a huge success.  They are paired up to play with one another.  Later they learn the letter “B” together and watch some Sesame Street clips, and soon they have learned all about the letter “B”.  The Russian team is very impressed and see the power that Ulitsa Sezam can hold for Russian children.

The Russian team tried Guinness for the first time at McSorley’s Pub.

Public transport is much more expensive in America than other parts of the world.

Some young men comment on Natashya’s jacket with Bert and Ernie on it.  The Russian team now sees how massive Sesame Street is in American culture, and understand why it is being pushed to launch in other countries.

“I sense we all want the same thing — for Ulitsa Sezam to steal the hearts of Russian children the same way it stole the hearts of the young men we encountered.”

“"When we visited New York, I bought a whole bunch of different American toys for my eight-year-old daughter to play with, including two Muppet dolls. When I got home, my daughter played with all the toys, but she took Elmo and Big Bird to bed with her every night, and she continues to do so.  There's something magical about the American Muppets, something uniquely appealing that our children have never seen. Don't we want this for our children? We have a chance to create something wonderful and new so our children can experience a wider world than we did." - Vika 

When Natasha confronts Irina about financial support, it’s revealed that Irina is being hounded by Russian tax collectors.  Since it was not regulated, then tend to take more than is due, and also there are people late on paying her company causing financial strain.

Toasts in Russia conform to strict rules: They must be heartfelt, witty, and provoke meaningful reflection.

As production ramps up, payroll is not met, and the team threatens to boycott a mandatory training session.

The Russian Orthodox Church runs a bottling plant.

The Budyonnovsk Hospital Hostage Crisis took place during the training.  It helps unite the team towards a common

“From the time Russian children are two years old, they understand the word soul.”

During Natasha’s honeymoon, there is a takeover of the television station that throws production into even greater chaos.

She had to fire Anton for making pornographic material.

The Russian Central Bank at one point in the early 90’s invalidated all Soviet currency issued before 1993.

“Gzhel” is the artistic process of creating traditional white and blue Russian pottery.

“Kugikly” is the depiction of peasant folk music with pipe pans made from reeds.

Frustrated that there is still no new office, Natasha leads a take over of the office space with the production crew.

Vasily Kandinsky’s philosophical treatise on the theory of colors suggests that different colors evoke different emotions.

A modern day courtyard is chosen as the setting for Ulitsa Sezam.

Over 160 children audition for the show.

During their auditions, they sing sad songs of loss, death, and war.

Masha is shocked when she sees the sheer size and scale of the muppet production studio in New York.

The puppeteer who plays Elmo, calls her daughter at 1am to say good night, which delights the child, and makes the mother feel special.

“Spokoiny Nochi” is Russian for “Good Night”

The Russian production crew learn with the American production team how to work the puppets and make them come alive.

Natasha falls ill towards the end of 1995, and discovers she is pregnant.

Oleg Slabynko’s shocking assassination is a huge jolt to the team.  

As she visits the set, Natasha discovers a wooden bench, along with a picnic table, phone booth, and city trash can.  She learns it had been stolen from a nearby park.  She jokes “Communism is over, along with collective ownership.”

The shooting of the first season is a huge success and everyone is proud of their efforts.

Natasha returns to Moscow after a trip home to discover the crew in financial ruin and going on strike.  

“Every time we get close, success moves further away.”

“You shouldn’t worry about anything.  These problems here are nothing compared with love.”

After reporting the financial failures in Russia, Ulitsa Sezam is in jeopardy.  At the last minute, Seasame Street’s board decides to bail out Video Art and continue launching the show, much to Natasha’s relief.

Natasha gives birth to a healthy 9-pound baby, 10 days late

Ulitsa Sezam premieres October 22nd, 1996

“Nothing in Russia is ever over.  It all just keeps repeating itself, like an infinite circle.”

Ulitsa Sezam was produced in Studio 13 at the ORT television compound.

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Overall, this was excellent read.  Natasha recounts her time in Russia with vivid detail, and it serves as an excellent look into a country working to rebrand itself.  It shows how an American influence has a positive impression on its fellow country, and how people can work together to create things that stand the test of time.

Good read, highly recommended.

On to Book #29: “If You Would Have Told Me” by John Stamos.