Few realize that when reading a Peanuts comic strip, watching a television show based on the writings of Charles M. Schulz, or seeing the theatrical YOU’RE A GOOD MAN CHARLIE BROWN, a version of which is now on stage at Porthouse Theatre, that they are being exposed to the author’s religious sensibility.
Schultz, a conservative Protestant, believed that only through “sharing of burdens and triumphs and fears and joys a person could navigate the immense challenges of life.”
An examination of the five decades' worth of Peanuts comic strips, inspired Robert L. Short’s to write a series of books of "popular theology", “The Gospel According to Peanuts” and “The Parables of Peanuts.”
YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, opened off-Broadway) on March 7, 1967, staring Gary Burghoff (who went on to be Radar on M*A*S*H) as Charlie Brown. It ran 1,597 performances.
The show was revived on Broadway in 1999. This production, with additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and dialogue by Michael Mayer, attempted to add a playfulness which, according to the producers, was not fully developed in the original script.
It also introduced audiences to Anthony Rapp (Charlie Brown), who went on to originate the lead role of Mark Cohen in Broadway’s RENT and Kristen Chenoweth (Sally Brown), who went on to originate the role of Glinda in the 2003 musical WICKED.
What’s it all about? Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts gang explore life's great questions as they play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs, swoon over their crushes and celebrate the joy of friendship.
Through brief vignettes, spanning the months from Valentine’s Day to Beethoven Day, from wild optimism to utter despair we watch as bossy Lucy who is hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder who doesn’t give her the time of day, as perfectionist Sally mocks blanket-toting Linus, as Snoopy on his doghouse, and the “blockhead,” himself, Charlie Brown, who is in love with the “little red headed girl” all blunder through life.
Shultz’s bottom line is that persistence wins out. “Charlie Brown often lost, failed at much, but he never gave up. Even though he knew Lucy was going to pull the football away before he could kick it.... even though he knew the tree was going to eat his kite…he persists.” When he watches as Lucy “teach” her little brother, Linus the “truths” of life, such as “You can also determine a young elm tree's age by counting its leaves,” “snow comes up out of the ground like grass and the wind blows it around to make it look like it's falling,” and “the way grass grows involves insects tugging seedlings to the point that they grow to their adult state,” he responds by beating his head against a tree, which, according to Lucy, “will loosen the bark and make the tree grow.”
The difficulty of staging a show like YAGMCB is not apparent. It has a small cast, little orchestra, one simple set, no costume changes. Easy, huh? Nope! Adults, even young adults, often have difficulty being children. Simple songs can have complex meanings. The music must have an underplay of youthful joy.
The Porthouse production, under the direction of Amy Fritsche, is pleasant enough but, in spite of clever choreography and some fun schticks, it lacks the child-like wonder, emotional happiness, and emphasis on the joys of life that makes a script like this grab and hold the emotions of an audience.
The most of the cast acts at being children, not being children. They don’t really live in each of their character’s worlds, they pretend to be their characters.
From its opening notes, the music is played way too seriously and there is a lack of child-like wonderment of life. This is not PHANTOM OF THE OPERA.
Highlight numbers include “My Blanket and Me,” and “Beethoven Day.”
The most realistic performances are given by Cole Stellato as Schroeder and Drew Fitzgerald as Linus.
The set design, which is wisely decorated in crayon primary colors, causes problems for the audiences seated extreme left and right. They can’t see into the hollowed-out center of the backwall, so the actions that take place in that area can’t be seen.
Capsule judgment: YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN, in spite of its appearing to be an easy script to stage, is quite complex. The Porthouse production is pleasant, but misses out on creating some of the joy of childhood and the textured realities of the Peanuts gang.
YOU’RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN runs July 4-12, 2024 at Porthouse Theatre, on the grounds of Blossom Music Center. For tickets call 330-672-3884 or go online to www.porthousetheatre.com. (Note that this is NOT a children’s show.)
NEXT UP AT PORTHOUSE: SCHOOL OF ROCK, July 18-August 3, 2025.