Snoopy!!! The Musical
Encyclopedia
Snoopy: The Musical is a musical comedy by Larry Grossman
and Hal Hackady
, with a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz
comic strip
Peanuts
. This sequel to the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
focuses more on the life of Snoopy
. Since its premiere, the musical has been a popular choice for regional, international, and amateur theatre
performances.
, Jimmy Dodge, and Pamela Myers
.
at the Lamb's Theatre
from December 20, 1982 through May 1, 1983. Directed by Whitelaw, the cast included David Garrison
as Snoopy, Terry Kerwin as Charlie Brown and Vicki Lewis
as Peppermint Patty. Lorna Luft
played Peppermint Patty starting on February 21, 1983.
Duchess Theatre
from September 20, 1983 through November 11, 1984 for 479 performances, starring Teddy Kempner as Snoopy and featuring Susie Blake
. The production was nominated for the Olivier Award for Musical of the Year, and Kempner was nominated for Actor of the Year in a Musical.
in February 2003 for 14 performances. It was directed by Joseph Pitcher and featured Stephen Carlile as Snoopy and Neil Gordon-Taylor as Charlie Brown.
presentation of Snoopy! was held at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in Manhattan
, New York City
, on April 12, 2004. Christian Borle
starred in the title role, with Deven May
as Charlie Brown, Sutton Foster
as Peppermint Patty, Ann Harada
as Lucy, Hunter Foster
as Linus, and Jennifer Cody
as Sally.
, in July 2004, with several cast members from the Jermyn Street production and again directed by Whitelaw, the original director.
TV special based on the musical, also called Snoopy The Musical
, aired on the CBS
network in 1988.
Act I
As the curtain rises, each character enters and finds Snoopy
atop his doghouse, and they all describe "The World According To Snoopy". Later, Lucy
and Charlie Brown
have a brief discussion of why he has chosen Snoopy for a pet ("Snoopy's Song"), which almost leads to Lucy getting Charlie Brown to buy a new pet. Snoopy, hoping to please his owner, decides to try to follow Charlie Brown's directions better. Meanwhile, Woodstock
begins his day ("Woodstock's Theme"), but to his dismay, he seems to have falllen in love with a worm. Peppermint Patty
has similar problems with love, wishing that she could be prettier to impress Charlie Brown ("Hurry Up Face").
In school, the group hopes that the teacher will not call on them to answer a question about the famous poet "Edgar Allan Poe
". On "Mother's Day
", Snoopy reflects on how much he misses his lost mother. Meanwhile, Sally
, Peppermint Patty, and Lucy have a happy discussion on what they've learned in their lives ("I Know Now").
On Halloween
, Linus
, along with a reluctant Snoopy, awaits the arrival of the Great Pumpkin during "The Vigil" in the pumpkin patch. Later, the group looks up at the sky where they imagine no clouds, but instead Mount Rushmore
, dragons and twenty milk-white horses ("Clouds"), but when asked what he sees, Charlie Brown can only sadly say, "A horsie
and a duckie
."
Snoopy enters as the Easter Beagle to hand out bright Easter eggs to everyone, except Charlie Brown. A dejected Charlie Brown, musing on the new independence of his pet, is left alone ("Where Did That Little Dog Go?"). Similar events progress, and Lucy, Peppermint Patty, and Sally try to sell Snoopy for a "Dime A Dozen", though Snoopy is quick to realize that he must mend his ways and wishes that he could start over ("Daisy Hill").
Life soon goes back to normal and the gang seems to have forgotten those events. They are however, beginning to think, as Lucy says, that they live "in the most boring place in the whole stupid world!", all of them asking the same question: "When Do The Good Things Start?"
Act II
Unfortunately, Playbeagle
has decided not to publish Snoopy's manuscript, but Snoopy's spirits remain undaunted even amid the throes of rejection, as "The Great Writer" begins his new story
. Later, Peppermint Patty sarcastically expresses her love for Charlie Brown ("Poor Sweet Baby"). Sally, seeing leaves fall from a tree, remarks that there is something to learn from the cycle of life: "Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be". While sitting atop his doghouse, putting the finishing touches on his new story, Snoopy receives a letter delivered by Woodstock: he has become Head Beagle ("The Big Bow Wow").
Later, the gang begins a discussion of Christmas
and innocence. Then, looking up at the starry sky, Charlie Brown remarks "I think that there must be a tiny star out there that is my star." They reflect on their friendships and realize that if just one person believes in you, deep enough and strong enough, their love can spread ("Just One Person"). Linus remarks to Charlie Brown, "Well, as Lucy always says, he isn't much of a dog." Snoopy replies, "But, after all, who is?"
Act II
† Added for the London version
The Original Cast album contains another song, "Friend", also performed by the Ensemble (after "Daisy Hill").
wrote: "If the musical [Snoopy!!!] were nose-to-nose with Mr. (David) Garrison's performance, it would be a subject for celebration. Sadly, this sequel ...is a hand-me-down...the show meanders all over play-school country. The book, which is credited to three individual writers as well as a task force called 'Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates' is a pastepot of Peanuts dialogue that wanders into various other neighborhoods in order to accommodate the score."
In reviewing the 2004 London production, the Whats On Stage reviewer noted "...this is a show for all ages and all seasons - and as a sunny summer's entertainment, could hardly be bettered. The musical retains the fast, sharp comic appeal and instantly recognisable characterisations of the line-drawing originals, but also irresistibly brings it to human form by buoying up its snapshot scenes with the tuneful ease of the light, bright melodies of composer Larry Grossman's settings to Hal Hackaday's apt, witty lyrics."
Larry Grossman (composer)
Larry Grossman is a composer of Broadway musicals, as well as scores for film and television, notably the The Muppet Show.-Career:...
and Hal Hackady
Hal Hackady
Hal Hackady is an American lyricist, librettist, and screenwriter.Hackady began his career writing teleplays for early anthology series General Electric Theater and Alfred Hitchcock Presents...
, with a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the Charles M. Schulz
Charles M. Schulz
Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz was an American cartoonist, whose comic strip Peanuts proved one of the most popular and influential in the history of the medium, and is still widely reprinted on a daily basis.-Early life and education:Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Schulz grew up in Saint Paul...
comic strip
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
Peanuts
Peanuts
Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000, continuing in reruns afterward...
. This sequel to the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown
You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts...
focuses more on the life of Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
. Since its premiere, the musical has been a popular choice for regional, international, and amateur theatre
Amateur theatre
Amateur theatre is theatre performed by amateur actors. These actors are not typically members of Actors' Equity groups or Actors' Unions as these organizations exist to protect the professional industry and therefore discourage their members from appearing with companies which are not a signatory...
performances.
San Francisco (1975)
Snoopy: The Musical premiered on December 9, 1975 at the Little Fox Theatre in San Francisco, California. Directed by Arthur Whitelaw, the cast featured Don PotterDon Potter
Donald Steele Potter , was an English sculptor, wood carver, potter and teacher.-Early life:Don Potter was born in Newington, near Sittingbourne, Kent, the son of a school teacher, and attended a private school...
, Jimmy Dodge, and Pamela Myers
Pamela Myers
Pamela Myers is an American actress who made her Broadway debut as Marta in Stephen Sondheim's musical Company. For this role, in which she introduced the show-stopping number, "Another Hundred People," she was nominated at the 1971 Tony awards for Best Performance by a Featured Actress in a Musical...
.
Off-Broadway (1982-1983)
The musical was produced Off-BroadwayOff-Broadway
Off-Broadway theater is a term for a professional venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, and for a specific production of a play, musical or revue that appears in such a venue, and which adheres to related trade union and other contracts...
at the Lamb's Theatre
Lamb's Theatre
Lamb's Theatre was an Off-Broadway theater located at 130 West 44th Street, New York City inside the Manhattan Church of the Nazarene, near Times Square in New York City. It seated approximately 350 and specialized in musical productions...
from December 20, 1982 through May 1, 1983. Directed by Whitelaw, the cast included David Garrison
David Garrison
David Gene Garrison is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he may be more widely known for his numerous television roles, particularly that of Steve Rhoades on Married... with Children...
as Snoopy, Terry Kerwin as Charlie Brown and Vicki Lewis
Vicki Lewis
Vicki Lewis is an American film, stage, television and voice actress best known for her role as Beth in the NBC sitcom NewsRadio.-Personal life:...
as Peppermint Patty. Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft
Lorna Luft is an American television, stage, and film actress and singer. She is the daughter of singer and actress Judy Garland and Sid Luft, and the half-sister of singer and actress Liza Minnelli.-Biography:...
played Peppermint Patty starting on February 21, 1983.
West End (1983-1984)
The musical ran at the West EndWest End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
Duchess Theatre
Duchess Theatre
The Duchess Theatre is a West End theatre in the City of Westminster, London, located in Catherine Street, near Aldwych.The theatre opened on 25 November 1929 and is one of the smallest 'proscenium arched' West End theatres. It has 479 seats on two levels....
from September 20, 1983 through November 11, 1984 for 479 performances, starring Teddy Kempner as Snoopy and featuring Susie Blake
Susie Blake
Susie Blake is a British actress.-Personal life:Blake trained at the Arts Educational School and LAMDA in London. She is the granddaughter of the actress Annette Mills and a great - niece of the actor Sir John Mills...
. The production was nominated for the Olivier Award for Musical of the Year, and Kempner was nominated for Actor of the Year in a Musical.
West End revival (2003)
Snoopy was revived at the West End Jermyn Street TheatreJermyn Street Theatre
Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated in Jermyn Street, London.Formerly a restaurant, under the leadership of Howard Jameson, it was transformed into a 70-seat studio theatre right in the heart of London's West End...
in February 2003 for 14 performances. It was directed by Joseph Pitcher and featured Stephen Carlile as Snoopy and Neil Gordon-Taylor as Charlie Brown.
New York concert (2004)
A concertConcert
A concert is a live performance before an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, a choir, or a musical band...
presentation of Snoopy! was held at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
, New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, on April 12, 2004. Christian Borle
Christian Borle
Christian Borle is an American actor. Born and raised in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Borle has been primarily featured as an actor in Broadway productions....
starred in the title role, with Deven May
Deven May
Deven Shaw May is a Broadway performer, actor and photographer. He is most famous for his portrayal of the half-bat, half-human boy in Laurence O'Keefe's Off-Broadway musical, Bat Boy, for which he won a Theatre World Award for "Outstanding New York Debut," as well as Drama Desk and Lucille Lortel...
as Charlie Brown, Sutton Foster
Sutton Foster
Sutton Lenore Foster is an American actress, singer and dancer. Foster has received two Tony Awards, in 2002 for her role of Millie Dillmount in Thoroughly Modern Millie and in 2011 for her role of Reno Sweeney in Anything Goes...
as Peppermint Patty, Ann Harada
Ann Harada
Ann Harada is an American New York-based actress who is best-known for the musical Avenue Q in which she originated the role of Christmas Eve, the heavily-accented Japanese therapist.-Early life:...
as Lucy, Hunter Foster
Hunter Foster
Hunter Foster is an American musical theatre actor/singer, librettist and playwright.-Early life:Foster was born in Lumberton, North Carolina, but raised in Augusta, Georgia and Troy, Michigan. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theatre Studies from the University of Michigan in 1992...
as Linus, and Jennifer Cody
Jennifer Cody
Jennifer Cody , is an American dancer and actress.-Early life:Cody was born in Henrietta, New York. She began dancing at an early age. She studied acting at Fredonia State University...
as Sally.
London (2004)
The musical ran at the New Players Theatre in LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, in July 2004, with several cast members from the Jermyn Street production and again directed by Whitelaw, the original director.
Television adaptation
A prime-time animatedAnimation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
TV special based on the musical, also called Snoopy The Musical
Snoopy!!! The Musical (TV special)
Snoopy!!! The Musical is the 31st prime-time animated TV specials, based on characters from the Charles M. Schulz comic strip Peanuts. It was an adaptation of the musical Snoopy!!! The Musical, and originally aired on the CBS network in 1988....
, aired on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
network in 1988.
Synopsis (London version)
The show is a "series of self-contained vignettes".Act I
As the curtain rises, each character enters and finds Snoopy
Snoopy
Snoopy is an fictional character in the long-running comic strip Peanuts, by Charles M. Schulz. He is Charlie Brown's pet beagle. Snoopy began his life in the strip as a fairly conventional dog, but eventually evolved into perhaps the strip's most dynamic character—and among the most recognizable...
atop his doghouse, and they all describe "The World According To Snoopy". Later, Lucy
Lucy van Pelt
Lucille "Lucy" van Pelt is a fictional character in the syndicated comic strip :Peanuts, written and drawn by Charles Schulz. She is the main bully and the older sister of Linus and Rerun. Lucy is a crabby and cynical eight-year old girl, and often bullies the other characters in the strip,...
and Charlie Brown
Charlie Brown
Charles "Charlie" Brown is the protagonist in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz.Charlie Brown and his creator have a common connection in that they are both the sons of barbers, but whereas Schulz's work is described as the "most shining example of the American success story", Charlie...
have a brief discussion of why he has chosen Snoopy for a pet ("Snoopy's Song"), which almost leads to Lucy getting Charlie Brown to buy a new pet. Snoopy, hoping to please his owner, decides to try to follow Charlie Brown's directions better. Meanwhile, Woodstock
Woodstock (Peanuts)
Woodstock is a fictional character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. He is Snoopy's closest friend and, after Snoopy, the most recognized non-human in the strip.-History:...
begins his day ("Woodstock's Theme"), but to his dismay, he seems to have falllen in love with a worm. Peppermint Patty
Peppermint Patty
Patricia "Peppermint Patty" Reichardt is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. A freckle-faced auburn/brunette, she is one of a small group in the strip who lives across town from Charlie Brown and his school friends...
has similar problems with love, wishing that she could be prettier to impress Charlie Brown ("Hurry Up Face").
In school, the group hopes that the teacher will not call on them to answer a question about the famous poet "Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective...
". On "Mother's Day
Mother's Day
Mother's Day is a celebration honoring mothers and celebrating motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on various days in many parts of the world, yet most commonly in March, April, or May...
", Snoopy reflects on how much he misses his lost mother. Meanwhile, Sally
Sally Brown
Sally Brown is the younger sister of Charlie Brown in the comic strip Peanuts by Charles Schulz. She was first mentioned in early 1959 and throughout a long series of strips before her first appearance in August 1959.-Appearance:...
, Peppermint Patty, and Lucy have a happy discussion on what they've learned in their lives ("I Know Now").
On Halloween
Halloween
Hallowe'en , also known as Halloween or All Hallows' Eve, is a yearly holiday observed around the world on October 31, the night before All Saints' Day...
, Linus
Linus van Pelt
Linus van Pelt is a character in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip Peanuts. The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy van Pelt and older brother of Rerun van Pelt. He first appeared on September 19, 1952; however, he was not mentioned by name until three days later....
, along with a reluctant Snoopy, awaits the arrival of the Great Pumpkin during "The Vigil" in the pumpkin patch. Later, the group looks up at the sky where they imagine no clouds, but instead Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore
Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States...
, dragons and twenty milk-white horses ("Clouds"), but when asked what he sees, Charlie Brown can only sadly say, "A horsie
Horse
The horse is one of two extant subspecies of Equus ferus, or the wild horse. It is a single-hooved mammal belonging to the taxonomic family Equidae. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million years from a small multi-toed creature into the large, single-toed animal of today...
and a duckie
Duck
Duck is the common name for a large number of species in the Anatidae family of birds, which also includes swans and geese. The ducks are divided among several subfamilies in the Anatidae family; they do not represent a monophyletic group but a form taxon, since swans and geese are not considered...
."
Snoopy enters as the Easter Beagle to hand out bright Easter eggs to everyone, except Charlie Brown. A dejected Charlie Brown, musing on the new independence of his pet, is left alone ("Where Did That Little Dog Go?"). Similar events progress, and Lucy, Peppermint Patty, and Sally try to sell Snoopy for a "Dime A Dozen", though Snoopy is quick to realize that he must mend his ways and wishes that he could start over ("Daisy Hill").
Life soon goes back to normal and the gang seems to have forgotten those events. They are however, beginning to think, as Lucy says, that they live "in the most boring place in the whole stupid world!", all of them asking the same question: "When Do The Good Things Start?"
Act II
Unfortunately, Playbeagle
Playbill
Playbill is a monthly U.S. magazine for theatregoers. Although there is a subscription issue available for home delivery, most Playbills are printed for particular shows to be distributed at the door...
has decided not to publish Snoopy's manuscript, but Snoopy's spirits remain undaunted even amid the throes of rejection, as "The Great Writer" begins his new story
It was a dark and stormy night
"It was a dark and stormy night" is an infamous phrase written by Victorian novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton at the beginning of his 1830 novel Paul Clifford. The annual Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest uses the phrase as a signifier of purple prose...
. Later, Peppermint Patty sarcastically expresses her love for Charlie Brown ("Poor Sweet Baby"). Sally, seeing leaves fall from a tree, remarks that there is something to learn from the cycle of life: "Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be". While sitting atop his doghouse, putting the finishing touches on his new story, Snoopy receives a letter delivered by Woodstock: he has become Head Beagle ("The Big Bow Wow").
Later, the gang begins a discussion of Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
and innocence. Then, looking up at the starry sky, Charlie Brown remarks "I think that there must be a tiny star out there that is my star." They reflect on their friendships and realize that if just one person believes in you, deep enough and strong enough, their love can spread ("Just One Person"). Linus remarks to Charlie Brown, "Well, as Lucy always says, he isn't much of a dog." Snoopy replies, "But, after all, who is?"
Songs
Act I- Overture (Orchestra) †
- The World According To Snoopy (Ensemble)
- Snoopy's Song (Snoopy & Ensemble)
- Woodstock's Theme (Orchestra)
- Hurry Up Face (Peppermint Patty,) †
- Edgar Allan Poe (Peppermint Patty, Lucy, Sally, Linus, Charlie Brown)
- Mother's Day (Snoopy) †
- I Know Now (Sally, Peppermint Patty, Lucy)
- The Vigil (Linus)
- Clouds (Ensemble)
- Where Did That Little Dog Go? (Charlie Brown)
- Dime A Dozen (Lucy, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, Sally) †
- Daisy Hill (Snoopy)
- When Do The Good Things Start? (Ensemble)†
Act II
- Entr'Acte (Orchestra)
- The Great Writer (Snoopy)
- Poor Sweet Baby (Peppermint Patty)
- Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be (Sally, Linus, Peppermint Patty, Charlie Brown)
- The Big Bow-Wow (Snoopy)
- Just One Person/Bows/Don't Be Anything Less Than Anything You Can Be (Reprise) (Ensemble)
† Added for the London version
The Original Cast album contains another song, "Friend", also performed by the Ensemble (after "Daisy Hill").
Response
In his review of the 1983 Lamb's Theatre production, Mel GussowMel Gussow
Melvyn H. Gussow was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for The New York Times for 35 years.-Biography:...
wrote: "If the musical [Snoopy!!!] were nose-to-nose with Mr. (David) Garrison's performance, it would be a subject for celebration. Sadly, this sequel ...is a hand-me-down...the show meanders all over play-school country. The book, which is credited to three individual writers as well as a task force called 'Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates' is a pastepot of Peanuts dialogue that wanders into various other neighborhoods in order to accommodate the score."
In reviewing the 2004 London production, the Whats On Stage reviewer noted "...this is a show for all ages and all seasons - and as a sunny summer's entertainment, could hardly be bettered. The musical retains the fast, sharp comic appeal and instantly recognisable characterisations of the line-drawing originals, but also irresistibly brings it to human form by buoying up its snapshot scenes with the tuneful ease of the light, bright melodies of composer Larry Grossman's settings to Hal Hackaday's apt, witty lyrics."
External links
- Snoopy!!! The Musical at Internet Off-Broadway Database
- Listing at guidetomusicaltheatre.com
- Internet Movie Database, Snoopy:The Musical, 1988