Way Off Broadway to perform 'Snoopy!!!'

Way Off Broadway will perform ?Snoopy!!! The Musical? Oct. 23-Nov. 1 at the Stephen Sondheim Center for the Performing Arts.

?Snoopy!!! The Musical? is a musical comedy with music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by Hal Hackady and book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw and Michael Grace. The team of Grossman and Hackady also collaborated on ?Grind,? ?A Doll?s Life,? ?Minnie?s Boys? and music for the Muppets. Based on the iconic comic strip ?Peanuts? by Charles M. Schulz, ?Snoopy!!!? is a series of vignettes which follow Charlie Brown?s friends? search to discover why Charlie Brown has Snoopy as a pet. A sequel to ?You?re a Good Man Charlie Brown,? although by a different creative team, familiar scenes and familiar characters strive to delight audiences of all ages.

?The whole ?Peanut?s? cultural phenomenon that made it the ?water cooler? conversation for almost 20 years is derived from Schulz?s ability to channel important adult thoughts and feelings through the mouths of children,? said Randal West, Way Off Broadway?s artistic director. ??Snoopy!!!,? although it plays well to younger audiences, is really about universal themes and important issues. That was part of Schulz?s true genius which is so well translated by Grossman and Hackady.?

?Peanuts? was first introduced Oct. 2, 1950, and when Charles Schulz stopped drawing new strips, ?Peanuts? was appearing in 2,600 newspapers in 75 countries and 21 languages, making it the most popular comic strip in the world.

Grossman has written musical material for more than 100 network television specials and special events and won six Emmys with 17 nominations in addition to a Peabody Award for his contributions to ?The Muppet Show.?

His film credits in include the score for Disney?s ?Pocahontas II: Journey To A New World? and ?The Great Mouse Detective,? MGM?s ?That?s Dancing? and ?The Princess Diaries 2.?

He has written concert and cabaret material for Julie Andrews, Shirley MacLaine, Liza Minnelli, Joel Grey, Chita Rivera and other artists. His individual songs have been recorded by artists ranging from Tony Bennett and Lena Horne to David Bowie and Michael Jackson. His song ?Gone Too Soon? was featured on Jackson?s ?Dangerous? album.

The role of Snoopy will be played by Evan Martin, who portrayed the sergeant in the Way Off Broadway production of ?Pirates of Penzance.?

For ticket information, go to www.fairfieldacc.com or call the box office at 472-2787. Tickets are $18 for students and groups, $28 for side orchestra and balcony seating and $38 for center orchestra seating.

A children?s matinee performance will be Oct. 31. Children are invited to attend in costume and receive treats. All children aged 18 and younger will be admitted for $10, and adults with children will be admitted for $18.