''Snoopy: The Musical'' is a

musical comedy Musical theatre is a form of theatrical performance that combines songs, spoken dialogue, acting and dance. The story and emotional content of a musical – humor, pathos, love, anger – are communicated through words, music, movemen ...

with music by Larry Grossman, lyrics by

Hal Hackady Harold Clayton MacHackady (February 10, 1922 – October 12, 2015), best known as Hal Hackady, and sometimes credited as Hal Hackaday, was an American lyricist, librettist and screenwriter. Life He was born in Middletown, Connecticut in 192 ...

, and a book by Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw, and Michael Grace. The characters are from the

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wid ...

comic strip A comic strip is a sequence of drawings, often cartoons, arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions. Traditionally, throughout the 20th and into the 21st ...

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...

''. This sequel to the musical ''

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'' is a 1967 musical with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and (in a 1999 revision) Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip ''Peanuts''. The musical ...

'' focuses more on the life of

Snoopy Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. He can also be found in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of the most recog ...

. Since its premiere, the musical has been a popular choice for regional, international, and

amateur theatre Amateur theatre, also known as amateur dramatics, is theatre performed by amateur actors and singers. Amateur theatre groups may stage plays, revues, musicals, light opera, pantomime or variety shows, and do so for the social activity as well as f ...

performances.

Productions

Original San Francisco

''Snoopy: The Musical'' premiered on December 9, 1975 at the Little Fox Theatre in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

, California. Directed by Arthur Whitelaw, featured Don Potter as the title role. The costume design is by David Graden, with lighting by Ken Billington, orchestrations and vocals by Laurence J. Blank, produced by John Anderson, and choreography by Marc Breaux. The show opened to mixed reviews, not quite as critically acclaimed as ''You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown''. The show closed on July 5, 1976.

New York

The musical was produced

Off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

at the

Lamb's Theatre Lamb's Theatre was an Off-Broadway theater located at 130 West 44th Street, Manhattan, 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 producti ...

opening December 20, 1982. Directed by Whitelaw, with

David Garrison David Earl Garrison (born June 30, 1952) is an American actor. His primary venue is live theatre, but he is best known as the character Steve Rhoades in the television series, '' Married... with Children''. He has also appeared in numerous theat ...

as Snoopy. The show performed 152 performances until it closed on May 1, 1983. The crew included Paul D. Hughes, Martin Markinson, Gene Persson, and Donald Tick as producers, Ronald Melrose as musical director, Marc Breaux returning as choreographer, David Graden returning as costume and set design, Ken Billington returning as lighting designer, James Walsh as general manager, Richard Humleker and C. George Willard as press representatives, and Melissa Davis as production manager. The

received similar reviews to the San Francisco production. Later, when

Lorna Luft Lorna Luft (born November 21, 1952) is an American actress, author, and singer. She is the daughter of Judy Garland and Sidney Luft and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli. Early life Luft was born on November 21, 1952, at Saint John's Health Cent ...

replaced Peppermint Patty, a new song was written for her, entitled "Hurry Up, Face". This song was used in later productions, including the West End. A benefit

concert A concert is a live music performance in front of an audience. The performance may be by a single musician, sometimes then called a recital, or by a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra, choir, or band. Concerts are held in a wide variety a ...

presentation of ''Snoopy!'' was held at the Peter Norton Symphony Space in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

, on April 12, 2004. Directed by Ben Rimalower, with

Christian Borle Christian Dominique Borle (born October 1, 1973) is an American actor and singer. He is a two-time Tony Award winner for his roles as Black Stache in ''Peter and the Starcatcher'' and as William Shakespeare in ''Something Rotten!''. Borle also ...

starring in the title role, with Broadway star

Sutton Foster Sutton Lenore Foster (born March 18, 1975) is an American actress, singer and dancer. She is known for her work on the Broadway stage, for which she has won the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical twice, in 2002 for her role as Millie Dill ...

as Peppermint Patty.

Toronto

The musical was first produced legitimately in Canada by the Toronto Civic Light Opera Company in January 1983. Directed by Joe Cascone, the cast starred Brad Donovan as the title role. The company revived the show in 1995 with Cascone now playing the title role.

London

The musical first opened previews September 16, 1983. The musical ran at the West End

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 West End theatres with a proscenium arch. It has 494 se ...

, opening September 20, 1983 and starred Teddy Kempner as Snoopy. The show closed on November 11, 1984, after 479 performances. ''Snoopy!!!'' was critically acclaimed, and was a success, leading to a revival in 2003. ''Snoopy'' was revived at the West End

Jermyn Street Theatre Jermyn Street Theatre is a performance venue situated on Jermyn Street, in London's West End. It is an off-west end studio theatre. History Jermyn Street Theatre opened in August 1994. It was formerly the changing rooms for staff at a Spaghetti ...

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. The musical ran at the New Players Theatre in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, in July 2004, with several cast members from the Jermyn Street production and again directed by Whitelaw, the original director. Robin Armstrong replaced Snoopy, and Stephen Kynman replaced Charlie Brown.

Brisbane, Australia

The musical played at The Queensland Performing Arts Center in The Cremorne Theatre, Brisbane (The Queensland Theatre Company) from October through December 1986. It then transferred to The Gold Coast in January 1987. Directed by Greg Gesch, starring Jack Webster as Snoopy, Patrick Phillips as Charlie Brown and Zoe Bertram as Lucy.

San Marcos, Texas

A revised version of Snoopy!!! The Musical (under the name ''The World According to Snoopy'') came to Texas State University from February 14–19, 2017. The musical was directed by Kaitlin Hopkins, starring Ryne Nardecchia as Snoopy. The musical was Choreographed by Adam Cates, Music Direction and Orchestrations by Greg Bolin, Production Stage Manager: Ethan Mitchell, Lighting Design by Ethan Jones, Scenic Design by Michelle Ney, Sound Design by Phillip Owen, Costume Design by Sally Rath, Projections Design by Andrew Mcintyre, Props Master by Erin Kehr, Sound Mixing by Ryan Thorton, Assistant Directing by Tom Delbello, Assisting to the director by Grayson Yockey, Assistant Choreographing by Elizabeth Brady, and Assistant Music Directing by Spencer Hansen.

Cape Town, South Africa

The musical ran at the Artscape Arena in Cape Town, South Africa in February 2018. The cast starred Jaydon Farao in the title role of Snoopy. The musical was produced by G&S, directed by Darryl Spijkers, musical direction by Kathy Lin, Set Design by Waldo Buckle and Zain Cassiem and Costume Design by David Pamplin.

Synopsis

''The show is a "series of self-contained vignettes".''Shenton, Mar
"Snoopy!The Musical"
whatsonstage.com, 21 July 2004 ;Act I As the curtain rises, each character enters and finds

atop his doghouse, and they all describe "The World According To Snoopy". Later,

Lucy Lucy is an English feminine given name derived from the Latin masculine given name Lucius with the meaning ''as of light'' (''born at dawn or daylight'', maybe also ''shiny'', or ''of light complexion''). Alternative spellings are Luci, Luce, Luci ...

and

Charlie Brown Charles "Charlie" Brown is the principal character of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', syndicated in daily and Sunday newspapers in numerous countries all over the world. Depicted as a "lovable loser," Charlie Brown is one of the great American ar ...

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 Music and Art Fair, commonly referred to as Woodstock, was a music festival held during August 15–18, 1969, on Max Yasgur's dairy farm in Bethel, New York, United States, southwest of the town of Woodstock, New York, Woodstock. ...

begins his day ("Woodstock's Theme"), but to his dismay, he seems to have fallen in love with a worm.

Peppermint Patty Peppermint Patty is a fictional character featured in Charles M. Schulz's comic strip ''Peanuts''. Her full name is Patricia Reichardt, which is very rarely used in the strip. She is one of a small group in the strip who live across town from C ...

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 Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

. The girls are having trouble, while the boys are confident ("Edgar Allan Poe"). Linus says everything correct, with Charlie Brown saying the opposite. On

Mother's Day Mother's Day is a celebration honoring the mother of the family or individual, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds, and the influence of mothers in society. It is celebrated on different days in many parts of the world, most commonly in the ...

, Snoopy reflects on how much he misses his lost mother ("Mother's Day"). Meanwhile,

Sally Sally may refer to: People *Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name Military *Sortie (siege warfare), Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port *Sally, ...

, Peppermint Patty, and Lucy have a happy discussion on what they've learned in their lives ("I Know Now"). On

Halloween Halloween or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve) is a celebration observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christian feast of All Saints' Day. It begins the observanc ...

Linus Linus, a male given name, is the Latin form of the Greek name ''Linos''. It's a common given name in Sweden. The origin of the name is unknown although the name appears in antiquity both as a musician who taught Apollo and as a son of Apollo who di ...

, along with a reluctant Snoopy, awaits the arrival of the

Great Pumpkin The Great Pumpkin is an unseen character in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by Charles M. Schulz. According to Linus van Pelt, the Great Pumpkin is a legendary personality who rises from the pumpkin patch on Halloween carrying a large bag of to ...

in the pumpkin patch ("The Vigil"). To his dismay, the great pumpkin never arrives, like every year. The next morning, the group looks up at the sky where they imagine no clouds, but instead

Mount Rushmore Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a national memorial centered on a colossal sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore (Lakota: ''Tȟuŋkášila Šákpe'', or Six Grandfathers) in the Black Hills near Keystone, South Dakota ...

dragons A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as ...

and twenty milk-white horses ("Clouds"), but when asked what he sees, Charlie Brown can only sadly say, "A horsie and a

duck Duck is the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Anatidae. Ducks are generally smaller and shorter-necked than swans and geese, which are members of the same family. Divided among several subfamilies, they are a form t ...

ie." 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 less than a dime ("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, if anything good will happen. They decide to organize a party, but Snoopy isn't allowed. Snoopy decides he will have his own party and still will have a fun time ("When Do the Good Things Start?") ;Act II The show reopens with the whole gang thinking about how friends help each other all the time ("Friend"). Unfortunately, ''Playbeagle'' (a play on ''

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother. K ...

)'' has decided not to publish Snoopy's manuscript, but Snoopy's spirits remain undaunted even amid the throes of rejection, as he begins his new story ("The Great Writer"). The story is only a spoof off classic movies, and is rejected by the writers. Later, Peppermint Patty sarcastically expresses her love for Charlie Brown ("Poor Sweet Baby"), but soon says that "it'll never happen". Sally asks Linus if he can go to the movies, but he rejects. However, Sally is still confident that one day Linus will marry her ("Husband Material") 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, Snoopy receives a letter delivered by Woodstock: he has become Head Beagle. Snoopy celebrates his success happily, ready for anything ("The Big Bow-Wow"). Later, the gang begins a discussion of

Christmas Christmas is an annual festival commemorating Nativity of Jesus, the birth of Jesus, Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people Observance of Christmas by country, around t ...

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 one person changes their world, they might as well be friends forever ("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?" After the show, a bow is sung with a reprise of "Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be".

Musical numbers

;Act I * "Overture" - Orchestra (different music in West End production) * "The World According to Snoopy" - Company * "Snoopy's Song" - Snoopy and Company†† * "Woodstock's Theme" - Orchestra * "Hurry Up, Face" - Peppermint Patty(†) * "Edgar Allan Poe" - Peppermint Patty, Lucy, Sally, Linus, and Charlie Brown * "Mother's Day" - Snoopy† * "I Know Now" - Sally, Peppermint Patty, and Lucy * "The Vigil" - Linus * "Clouds" - Company * "Where Did That Little Dog Go?" - Charlie Brown * "Dime a Dozen" - Lucy, Snoopy, Peppermint Patty, and Sally† * "Daisy Hill" - Snoopy * "When Do The Good Things Start?" - Company† ;Act II * "Entr'acte" - Orchestra† (original "Overture" music in West End production) * "Friend" - Company‡ * "The Great Writer" - Snoopy * "Poor Sweet Baby" - Peppermint Patty * "Husband Material" - Sally⹋ * "Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be" - Sally, Linus, Peppermint Patty, and Charlie Brown * "The Big Bow-Wow" - Snoopy * "Just One Person" - Snoopy and Company * "Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be" (reprise) - Company† :† Added for the West End production and later :††Not included in the original cast recording :(†) Added for the Off-Broadway production :‡ Act one finale from 1975 to 1982; Not included in any productions from 1982 to 2017 :⹋ Added for the San Marcos production; Music by Larry Grossman and lyrics by

Andrew Lippa Andrew Lippa (born December 22, 1964) is an American composer, lyricist, book writer, performer, and producer. He is a resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City. Early life Lippa was born in Leeds, England, to English parents. ...

Major production casts

Notable cast replacements

;Off-Broadway *Snoopy -

Jason Graae Jason Graae (pronounced "grah" or "graw", but not "gray") (born 15 May 1958) is an American musical theater actor, best known for his musical theater performances but with a varied career spanning Broadway, opera, television and film. He has ...

*Peppermint Patty -

Recordings

Around 1976, the original cast album was released with all songs from the original production. The musical was re-released on CD in 1991, while on digital in 2000, with a strange glitch making all the songs in caps lock. All tracks are written and composed by Larry Grossman and Hal Hackady. In 1983, the original West End original cast album was released. In 1998, it was released on CD, and in 2004, it was released on digital. The cast recording had the new songs for the West End production, including "Hurry Up, Face" from the 1982 Off-Broadway production. All tracks are written and composed by Larry Grossman and

. In 2018, in the collection ''Broadway to West End'' highlights from the original cast album were released, excluding "Overture", "Woodstock's Theme", "Hurry Up, Face", "Mother's Day", "The Vigil", "Dime a Dozen", "When Do the Good Things Start?", "Entr'acte", and "Don't Be Anything Less Than Everything You Can Be" (reprise).

Response

In his review of the 1982 Lamb's Theatre production,

Mel Gussow Melvyn Hayes "Mel" Gussow (; December 19, 1933 – April 29, 2005) was an American theater critic, movie critic, and author who wrote for ''The New York Times'' for 35 years. Biography Gussow was born in New York City and grew up in Rockville ...

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."Gussow, Mel. "Stage: Snoopy is Back On Doghouse Singing", ''The New York Times'', December 24, 1982, p.C6 In the 1983 West End production ''The Guardian'' reviewed "The astringency of the jokes is belied by Hal Hackady's lyrics which place great stress on the American success ethic... This innocent-looking revue certainly makes its point that the child is father of the wisecracking man; but I still can't help feeling that brevity is the soul of strip". 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."

References

External links

Snoopy!!! The Musical
at

Internet Off-Broadway Database The Internet Off-Broadway Database (IOBDB), also formerly known as the Lortel Archives, is an online database that catalogues theatre productions shown off-Broadway. The IOBDB was funded and developed by the non-profit Lucille Lortel Foundation ...

Listing at guidetomusicaltheatre.comInternet Movie Database, ''Snoopy:The Musical'', 1988
{{Peanuts filmography 1975 musicals Off-Broadway musicals Musicals based on comic strips Peanuts music Works based on Peanuts (comic strip)