Stanley Lambchop is an ordinary ten-year-old boy who wishes his life was a little more exciting. One morning Stanley gets his wish and wakes up to find he is very, very flat. He decides to make the best of the situation as he's whisked away on a globe-trotting journey more exciting than he could ever have imagined.
The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr., based on the children's book series by Jeff Brown, was written for the stage by Timothy A. McDonald and features music by Jonathan Waller, David Weinstein and Stephen Gabriel. McDonald, Waller and Weinstein also wrote the lyrics for this fun-filled musical.
The first of Stanley's adventures was published in 1964. The idea arose from a question asked by Jeff Brown's son, Tony, who asked what would happen if the big bulletin board on his wall were to fall on his brother. His father remarked that he would probably awaken in a flattened state, leading him to speculate about such a life.
Jeff Brown went on to write five other tales about the two-dimensional hero: Stanley and the Magic Lamp, Stanley in Space, Stanley's Christmas Adventure, Invisible Stanley, and Stanley: Flat Again! Altogether, Stanley's travels have sold nearly a million copies in the United States and inspired a worldwide letter-writing venture in 1995 called The Flat Stanley Project. This project allows students across the world to connect with one another by mailing out their "Flat Stanley" and receiving postcards and letters from Stanley's travels.
The Walnut Street Theatre for Kids' series, for grades K-6th and their 'grown-up' friends, is celebrated for its commitment to encouraging parents (and grandparents) to read with their kids. Families can read together, and then discover a whole new level of imagination when they see the shows live on stage! The Walnut takes pride in bringing families together through reading and the arts.
Greg Wood returns to the director's chair for The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr. Previous directing credits at the Walnut include the world premieres of Mickle Street and The Prescott Method. An award-winning actor for over 30 years, Wood has been seen on stage at the Walnut in numerous productions, including The Humans, Harvey, And Then There Were None, Private Lives, Other Desert Cities, God of Carnage, and Amadeus. His film and television credits include The Sixth Sense, Signs, The Happening, and several seasons of Law and Order. Currently, Wood is playing Lloyd Dallas in Noises Off on the Mainstage and is a Walnut teaching artist. Nate Golden, another Walnut teaching artist, returns to WST for Kids as choreographer after most recently choreographing this season's productions of Honk! Jr. and A Christmas Carol. The Walnut welcomes back Mark Yurkanin (StinkyKids, Skippyjon Jones) as the music and vocal director for this production. Marking her debut as set designer, current Walnut Properties Apprentice Kat Blakeslee will be bringing Stanley's exotic destinations to life on stage. After designing A Christmas Carol earlier this season, Morgan Porter returns as costume designer to fashion costumes for the fun and zany characters and, most importantly, transition Stanley into his fantastic flattened state. Ryan Peavey (South Pacific, StinkyKids, A Christmas Carol) and J. Dominic Chacon (StinkyKids, Christmas Carol) complete the design team as sound designer and lighting designer, respectively.
The cast of The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr. are all members of The Theatre School at Walnut Street Theatre. Playing the title role of Flat Stanley is Samantha Deutsch, who was most recently seen in A Christmas Carol and Honk! Jr. Stanley's mother, Mrs. Lambchop, will be played by Jenna Pinchbeck, last seen on the Walnut's stage in Miss Nelson Has a Field Day (2016). Walnut Acting Apprentice Daniel Wisniewski returns to the stage as Mr. Lampchop, after recently being seen as Fred in A Christmas Carol. Joining them on stage are Walnut Acting Apprentices Hallie Hargus (Mrs. Cordero), Sarah Owens (Samantha), and Daniel Ison (Doctor Dan). Stephen Fala completes the cast as Arthur. Fala was most recently seen in WST for Kids' production of StinkyKids: The Musical.
The Musical
Adventures of Flat Stanley Jr. is live on stage at the Walnut March
31 through April 14. Media partners for this production are Courier-Post and Real 106.1, and the production
is sponsored by Shriners Hospitals for Children. For tickets and information,
call 215-574-3550 or 800-982-2787. Tickets are also available online 24/7 by
visiting www.WalnutStreetTheatre.org or Ticketmaster.
