MR. WILLOWBY’S CHRISTMAS TREE Plays Final Performance at The Way Off Broadway Theatre 1/9

The story of Mr. Willowby, his amazing Christmas tree, and all of his furry friends has been around since author Robert Barry's book, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree, was first published in 1963. It tells the story of Mr. Willowby's magnificent Christmas tree. A tree so tall it must be trimmed several times. In fact, it is trimmed so many times, its pieces end up decorating the homes of many families, from the Bear Family all the way down to the Mouse Family.

Over the years, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree became a classic holiday tale. Then, in 2005, Way Off Broadway's Director of Children's Theatre, Susan Thornton, approached Robert Barry about turning his book into a children's theater stage production. Until that time, the only adaptation of the book had been by Jim Henson's Muppets for a 1995 television special. During the 2005 holiday season, Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree debuted as a live stage show at the Way Off Broadway Children's Theatre. To this day, the Muppets and Way Off Broadway are the only groups to ever adapt Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree into live action entertainment.

After four years, it's time for Mr. Willowby and all of his friends to return to Way Off Broadway for this year's Christmas show. Making up the cast of the furry and funny characters this season are Amanda Parker Kim, Sarah Melinda, Jordan Stocksdale, Shannon Wells, Taylor Whidden, and Bill Kiska as Mr. Willowby.

Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree was adapted for the stage and is directed by Susan Thornton, with music and musical direction by Cathie Porter-Borden and lyrics by Leon Borden.

The show runs from November 14th through January 9, 2010 with performances every Saturday afternoon and matinees on the 2nd and 4th Sunday of each month. Tickets are $15 per person for adults and children and may be purchased by calling the Box Office at (301) 662-6600.

For additional information on the show, or for details on the Mainstage Christmas show, Another Radio Christmas, or Way Off Broadway's New Year's Eve Event, visit www.wayoffbroadway.com. Following Mr. Willowby's Christmas Tree for the 2010 Children's Theatre Season are Cinderella, Aladdin, Charlotte's Web and a new Christmas show that will be announced shortly.

The Way Off Broadway Dinner Theatre has been a leader in the region's performing arts community since it first opened in 1995. Under the direction of the Kiska Family since 2002, WOB, currently celebrating its 15th Anniversary Season, has produced such productions as A Funny Thing . . . Forum, Guys & Dolls, Steel Magnolias, Oklahoma!, Grease, Fiddler on the Roof, The Odd Couple, A Chorus Line, The Sound of Music, Thoroughly Modern Millie, Evita , and Cats, as well as the regional premieres of Neil Simon's The Goodbye Girl - The Musical, Jerry Herman's La Cage aux Folles, and The Wedding Singer. For 2010, Way Off Broadway is proud to bring productions of The Full Monty, All Shook Up, Nunsense A-Men!, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, and Christmas Follies: The North Pole Revue to the stage.

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