Clark Gesner's 'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown' is the musical adaptation of Charles Schulz's beloved comic strip "Peanuts." Originally, the show opened in 1967 off-Broadway and finally opened on Broadway in 1971 after a mere month-long run. The revival in 1999, despite receiving the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical, closed one week after the Tony broadcast. So, why does this seemingly ill-fated show keep popping up all over the world by adult as well as children's companies? More Teeth is sure that it is not for the zigzag shirts and a muted "waah-waah-waah-waah" over the telephone.
More Teeth feels that adults who write for children's roles often simplify a child's mind or condescendingly write as if they were "little adults." We've observed that adult actors who play children often do the same thing. Schulz was given the gift of writing through a child's eyes without condescension...having both children and adults understand the struggles and triumphs of plain, ordinary life. He shared this talent with precious few (Twain, Sendak and Cleary among them).
'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown' is the story of a boy we all know, from the comic strip or from our own lives. He struggles with self-esteem, lacks initiative and is philosophically pessimistic. In the end, Charlie Brown realizes that being a "good man" means trying your best and making the most of the things that youve been given in life...a lesson many of could stand to learn or at least brush up on now and then. This wonderfully noble theme, the relatable personas and surreal, innocent wisdom are reasons aplenty to want to see this show.
And so, The Community Players of Pawtucket will attempt this simple but not simplistic show. More Teeth has yet to visit the Players for anything, so this will be our first impression of the storied group...will it be "Bravo!"or "Good grief!?"
- September 9, 2010
Where Beagles Dare...
The Community Players offer up '...Charlie Brown' as an early start to their 90th Season, taking part in the Pawtucket Arts Festival. Their year kicks off in earnest with 'Oklahoma' in November, so this presentation is a quick one for the Pawtucket community and not a bad offering for the kids (and the kid in you). It's a cute two hours of entertainment that serves its purpose. If you're looking for a full-blown production that attempts to recreate the Broadway revival and/or capture the true essence of Schulz's Gang...there are some elements missing.
(For the uninitiated, the ride to Jenks Auditorium is a slow motion Death Star run through Pawtucket's side roads, and if you're competing with an event at McCoy Stadium, then there's fresh hell to be added to the experience. Of course, this won't apply in the off-season, so mentioning it here is only applicable as an FYI to check McCoy's event calendar before deciding how much time you need to get there. But ample parking awaits once you arrive and the staff there are aware of conditions and will hold the house, as they did on opening night.)
We're greeted with John Ricci's cartoon scenery that is, in turn, clever and rudimentary. A mail box, dog house, trees with the scant top growth reminiscent of a child's drawing...battered as some of these pieces may be, all of the touchstones are there to bring the classic Peanuts' vignettes to life in full primary color.
The visual impression continues as we meet the full cast with the eponymous opening number. Pamela Jackson has touched on the key notes of each character's familiar look without being completely derivative of the comic strip or cartoon. Charlie is not balding, but his shirt is perfect. Lucy's dress is dead on, while Linus and Schroeder simply wear t-shirts in bold colors. Snoopy, thankfully, does not wear a dog suit or makeup, but hints at his Beagle-ness with a large spot on the back of his white overalls. Like the set - simple and effective.
The show does not carry a storyline, making it perfect for children and those with short attention spans. Charlie Brown pines for the elusive red-headed girl throughout and eventually discovers she's human. A good enough message to serve as a throughline while the individual vignettes allow us to have fun with each of the main characters in this script. But, be aware...this is not the entire Peanuts gang. This is the Top 6. No Woodstock...Peppermint Patty is gone (after being booted by Sally during the 1999 revival) no Franklin, Pigpen, etc. But we do get a clump of the secondary females as crew / background color and, in some cases, they are more entertaining. A feat of costuming allows Marcie (Stephanie Bobala), to merely stand there and upstage the entire cast. She, apparently, also serves as the anthropomorphizing of Linus' blanket in "My Blanket and Me" and steals the number away from Derek Capobianco (Linus).
In any case, Charlie, Sally, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder and Snoopy all get ample stage time and enough chance to serve up some genuine fun, if not always the full dimension of these characters. There's nothing heavy about this script, no great nuances, but there are some simple truths that are told by these children who act like adults. However, the effect is often adults in a parody of children. Some of the ensemble seem to not have had enough exposure to 'Peanuts' in their lifetime. There are exceptions: Kimberly Simone's Lucy is appropriately bitchy yet vulnerable and sparkles during "Schroeder" and "The Doctor Is In." The comically wigged Erika Pastel has a strong handle on the vapid capitalism of Sally and "My New Philosophy" gives her a chance to stand out musically. She also manages a fine comic turn in her efforts to slide by with as little schoolwork as possible. Greg Gillis' Snoopy has the most opportunities to steal the show and he takes them with relish. In some instances, he appears to have been left to his own devices, rather than choreographed, and he runs with it to mostly good effect (and his "beagle laugh" was a particularly fine character choice). While his "Red Baron" lacks focus, his "Rabbit Chasing" and "Suppertime" numbers are a real treat. In fact, the more tightly choreographed numbers, overall, serve to restrict the cast and force them into musical theater boxes that pale in comparison to some of the freer moments.
But, to go too deep into any of the flaws here is to overburden the point. The show is fun, and often very funny. The orchestra is capable and reinforced well by sound designer Dan Fisher without any of the feedback or obtrusive over-mic'ing often present in community theater. For the price, this is a great way to entertain the family and remember Schulz's bittersweet wit. Only the hardest of hearts would be able to walk away without a smile on their face.
'You're A Good Man Charlie Brown' runs through September 19th at Pawtucket Community Players, Jenks Junior High School, 350 Division St., Pawtucket. Reserve tickets on their website or by calling the reservaton line : (401) 726-6860. $15/$10 students.
