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Snoopy! by La Jolla High School Perhaps it was inevitable. Following the hit Broadway musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, it seems only natural that Charlie Brown's irresistible pooch Snoopy would soon try to upstage his owner with a musical named after who else -- himself! Although not quite up to the former in regards to the quality of music and comedy, Snoopy! is still an entertaining show with several little amusing scenes and fun songs. Those songs are highlighted by Lucy, Sally, and Peppermint Patty discussing how their young lives would be so much different if they had known before what they Know Now, Peppermint Patty's lovely, sappy ballad Poor Sweet Baby sung to Charlie Brown with a nice mixture of sensitivity and mockery by Christine Garver, and especially the song Clouds in which the cast members keep describing what their imaginations make out of the various cloud formations. Well, all except for poor Charlie Brown (Nick Eddy) who keeps getting interrupted by the others who have much more vivid imaginations. Especially Linus (David Hollingsworth) who keeps claiming that the characters in the clouds are "waving at me." The cast is quite strong both singing- and comedy-wise. Emily Lloyd hams it up nicely as Joe Cool in the title role of Snoopy and has a terrific voice that we get to hear often in such numbers as The Great Writer (It was a dark and stormy night....) and The Big Bow-Wow. And Luba Kravchenko as Lucy has both a remarkably powerful and beautiful voice as well as a hilarious little walk that proclaims her as an unquestionably obnoxious and haughty little brat. Christine Garver does a 180 from her last role as the vain, pristine Polly in Full Circle's Teach Me How To Cry. Here she is the gruff-voiced, unpretentious Peppermint Patty whose tomboyish mannerisms are a rip. Liz Edwards is great as Sally who has an unabashed crush on Linus. David Hollingsworth is that Linus who is a riot when going through painful blanket withdrawals while sister Lucy does the laundry. Nick Eddy shines in his solo Where Did That Little Dog Go?. And the mute Woodstock (Caroline Weiss) flies highest when flying jarringly into Snoopy's doghouse. They were all backed up by an able little three-person band of Brenda Henderson on keyboards, Alex Lautanen on percussion, and Ariel Jessup playing the guitar. Next up for La Jolla High will be The Laramie Project, a play about the murder of Matthew Shepard that La Jolla Playhouse did last year to phenomenal reviews. The Laramie Project will run the weekend of May 30 to June 1. Rob Hopper San Diego Playbill ~ Cast ~
Charlie Brown: Nick Eddy Linus: David Hollingsworth Sally: Liz Edwards Lucy: Luba Kravchenko Peppermint Patty: Christine Garver Snoopy: Emily Lloyd Woodstock: Caroline Weiss Director: Walt Stewart Music Director: Brenda Henderson Stage Manager: Katie Reynolds Lighting Designer: Masha Tsimring Sound Designer: Ashley Rollerson |