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You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown by La Jolla Stage Company Good grief! Poor Charlie Brown, mocked by his friends and sometimes even his famous dog, having trouble with pretty much everything that seems to come naturally to the other kids like flying a kite and fitting in, suffering with a huge crush on that cute Little Redheaded Girl. Ever since Charles Schultz created Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the Peanuts gang more than fifty years ago, it’s been easy to love and commiserate with this perpetual underdog who just keeps trying every day no matter what particular grief happens to come his way. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a musical tribute to Peanuts that amusingly and affectionately takes us through a day in the life of Charlie Brown – a day that includes a baseball game, a determined kite flying attempt, a 100-word book report on Peter Rabbit, the embarrassment of Charlie Brown’s Valentine’s Day while he pines for the Little Redheaded Girl, and many other standards from Peanuts cartoons including: * Charlie Brown, with Marc Ciemiewicz capturing the character so well with his voice and expressions, fails at baseball, fails at kite flying, and nervously tries to catch the attention of the lovely Little Redheaded Girl (Lisa Hill) – the latter of which becoming a nicely and charmingly done plot running throughout the show. * A hysterical Snoopy (Wayne Tibbetts) battling the Red Baron from atop his doghouse, singing alongside two of the most adorable Woodstocks you’ll ever see (Mckenna Allard and Bibi Valderrama), and longing melodramatically for his beloved Suppertime – a big-time musical number that brings the house down! * The ever-obnoxious Lucy (Kate Hewitt) flirting with piano-playing Schroeder (Brian P. Evans) who tries his best to concentrate on his Beethoven, and eventually succeeding as he leads the enthusiastic celebration of Beethoven’s Day. Lucy leaves Schroeder long enough to offer Charlie Brown some questionably helpful psychiatric advice, become an intimidating survey taker when trying to calculate her “crabbiness rating” among her friends (survey respondents being blasted with the familiar Who Wants to be a Millionaire? music when asked their questions), and she still finds time to threaten her baby brother Linus (Brett Alters) with her fist and with the stealing of his trusty blanket. Brett delivers a fantastic Linus with his comical expressions and timing – especially when making the titanic effort to wean himself from said blanket. * An exuberant Sally Brown (Becky Cherlin) announcing her odd and fickle “new philosophies,” and turning in an absolutely hysterical monologue when politely debating her “C” grade that she received for her creative coat hanger sculpture. Director Leigh Scarritt cast a mix of young and adult actors, revealing the childlike wonder that exists in both children and all us adults who still have Charles Schultz’s immortal characters running around inside them, just waiting for the opportunities to come back out and marvel at the world around us all.Rob Hopper San Diego Playbill ~ Cast ~
Charlie Brown: Marc Ciemiewicz, Luke Jacobs Snoopy: Wayne Tibbetts, Brian Crumm Lucy: Ria Carey, Kate Hewitt Sally: Becky Cherlin, Tiffany S. Scarritt Schroeder: Brian P. Evans, Erik Stevens Linus: Brett Alters, Rayme Sciaroni Redheaded Girl: Lisa Hill, Tatiana Holthaus Peppermint Patty: Peggy Jewell, Cailene Kilcoyne Pig Pen: Janette Janko, Brent Stringfield Gunther: Puay Kua Marcie: Catie Marron, Amy Sterling Shermy: Eric Gonzales Woodstock: Kara Keyes, Sydney Sarver and Mckenna Allard, Bibi Valderrama Director/Choreographer: Leigh Scarritt Costume Design: Jan Mah Stage Manager: Rich Covert Light Design: Dan Zisko Set Design: Paula Pierson |