“The Berenstain Bears Live! In Family Matters The Musical” brings the popular storybook characters to the stage, 2 p.m. Jan. 28, Miller Symphony Hall, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown. There’s a pre-show coloring book activity at 12:30 p.m. Jan. 28 in the Rodale Room on the third floor.

“The Berenstain Bears Live!” is adapted from the children’s book series, “The Berenstain Bears,” written by Stan and Jan Berenstain. The musical is based on three of the most popular books in the series, “The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers,” “The Berenstain Bears And Too Much Junk Food” and “The Berenstain Bears’ Trouble At School.”

The Berenstains originally published “The Berenstain Bears” in 1974 and have gone on to publish more than 300 books, create three animated television series, with a feature movie in development.

“The Berenstain Bears Live! In Family Matters The Musical” is filled with fun songs and dancing.

“The show is there to entertain while teaching valuable life lessons, which was always the goal,” says Matt Murphy, producer of “The Berenstain Bears Live!”

“What attracted me to create a musical based on ‘The Berenstain Bears’ is that those books are so beloved and always do a great job of telling compelling stories that also teach important lessons,” Murphy says.

“Our job, then, was to make their stories come to life as a full-blown musical comedy, complete with singing, dancing and colorful costumes, scenery and choreography,” says Murphy.

Murphy and his production company, Matt Murphy Productions, is a New York-based theatrical production company providing creative, management and financial support. He’s one of the producers of “Memphis,” which received a Best Musical Tony Award; “Thurgood,” starring Laurence Fishburne, who was nominated for a Tony Award; “Impressions,” starring Academy Award and Tony Award recipient Jeremy Irons; “Altar Boyz,” which received the 2005 Outer Critics Circle Award for Outstanding Off-Broadway Musical, and “Virtually Me,” a touring musical intended to educate students on cyberbullying. He’s working on a revival of “Side Show”; the Off-Broadway comedy, “Sex Tips for Straight Women from a Gay Man,” and a stage version of the movie, “Dances With Wolves.”

“We have always done a mix of Off-Broadway and touring. The show has been so well-received that we see no end in sight for our successful run,” Murphy says.

“The Berenstain Bears Live! In Family Matters The Musical,” which is 65 minutes with no intermission, is for children ages two and up and families. It consists of the Berenstain Bear family, including Mama and Papa bear, Brother and Sister Bear, along with several other characters from the books. The show is performed by six actors, each of whom play multiple roles.

The cast includes Eric Hartman (Papa Bear), Nicole Lamb (Sister Bear), Lauren Alice Smith (Mama Bear), Chris Trombetta (Brother Bear), Terry Lee III (Freddy, Gramps, Others) and Samantha Rose (Lizzie, Grandma, Others).

Murphy was asked why he decided to transform “The Berenstain Bears” books into a musical.

“They happened to be three of my favorites growing up and ones that I read to my own children. Each of the stories is filled with sing-able moments and humor that I knew would entertain families,” Murphy says.

Tickets: Miller Symphony Hall Box Office, 23 N. Sixth St., Allentown; allentownsymphony.org; 610-432-6715