Product Review

Clark Gesner's musicalization of Charles Schulz's "Peanuts" comic strips was a hit off-Broadway in 1967 and on Broadway in 1999. This video presents 49 minutes of the show, combining the familiar look of "Peanuts" animated television specials with Gesner's charming skits and songs, including the title tune, Snoopy's ode to eating "Suppertime," the Beethoven adaptation "Schroeder," the baseball yarn "T-E-A-M," and the sweet-as-a-warm-puppy anthem "Happiness." It should be noted that Gesner's clever score, while inspired by the actual strips, is aimed at a slightly older viewing audience than are most "Peanuts" videos, and that these young voices occasionally strain to keep up with its demands. Still, it's solid entertainment, and for anyone who performed the show in school and wishes there were a stage performance recorded on video, this is the next best thing. --David Horiuchi