'Flat Stanley' Gets More Than He Bargained For In Ocean City Show July 25

OCEAN CITY, NJ — Have you ever felt like your life was too normal? Too run-of-the-mill? Do you ever wish something exciting would happen? Stanley Lambchop feels the same way.

Stanley Lambchop is the title character in the “The Musical Adventures of Flat Stanley,” a family-friendly show presented by the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company (OCTC) on Tuesday, July 25, at the Ocean City Music Pier, 10:30 a.m. It is one of five family friendly shows the group will perform this summer.

Jeff Brown wrote the beloved children’s book in 1964, and it became a literary and pop-culture phenomenon. Now, Timothy Allen McDonald, the writer behind Willy Wonka and James and the Giant Peach, has taken everyone's favorite two-dimensional hero and given him a new life.

“Stanley Lambchop is your ordinary, everyday, run-of-the-mill, ten-year-old: normal mom and dad, normal little brother, normal life, reads the synopsis from the theater company. “That's just the problem... for Stanley, life is too normal. He wants to travel the world, do something amazing, something no one's ever seen before. Careful what you wish for, Stanley! One night, the bulletin board on the wall above Stanley's bed comes loose and falls – right on top of Stanley! The next morning, Stanley Lambchop wakes up flat. Not just a little flat... really, REALLY flat! In a whirlwind musical travelogue, Stanley – the ultimate exchange student – scours the globe for a solution to his unusual problem. He's stamped, posted and cancelled from Hollywood and France to Honolulu and beyond. And, whether he's thwarting a robbery at the Louvre Museum in Paris, or ‘hanging ten’ off the coast of Hawaii, Stanley is closing in on his goal of being a three-dimensional boy once more.”

There will be an additional, sensory-friendly performance, at 1 p.m. The theater group and the city are committed to increasing access and inclusion for the community's children and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders and other sensory, social, and cognitive disabilities. This performance will include:

• Reduction of loud or jarring sounds;
• Reductions in flashing or strobe lights;
• Modification of the house lights during the performance;
• Accommodated house rules: audience members are free to talk or move during the show; and
• Extra staff and volunteer support.

Audience members are welcome to bring their own manipulatives, headphones, seat cushions, comfort objects, and extra support items to the show. Families may select their own seats. Doors will open at 12:30 p.m. for the 1 p.m. show.

OCTC’s 2017 Children’s Theatre Series in Ocean City continues throughout the summer. The Children’s Theatre Series will conclude with “StinkyKids The Musical” on Aug. 1. StinkyKid Britt loves making everyone happy. But this girl who never gets in trouble is in a sticky situation – literally: She has an impossibly epic wad of gum stuck in her hair.

Tickets for all shows are $10 in advance, $12 at the door. For tickets, call 609-399-6111 or visit oceancityvacation.com/boxoffice.

The 2017 Children’s Series program is made possible in part by a grant administered by the Cape May County Culture & Heritage Commission, from funds granted by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.

To learn more about the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company and other upcoming professional and educational programming visit www.oceancitytheatrecompany.com.

Attached image provided by the Greater Ocean City Theatre Company