Happiness is...Charlie Brown

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Based on the comic strip "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz

Book, Music & Lyrics by Clark Gesner

Additional Dialogue by Michael Mayer

Additional Music by Andrew Lippa

Directed by Scott Lafeber, Musical Direction by Michael Kreutz, Choreography by David Connolly

Set Design, Jenna McFarland Lord; Costume Design, Molly Trainer; Lighting Design, Russ Swift; Production Stage Manager, Kayla G. Sullivan

CAST: Mary Callanan (Lucy van Pelt), Steven Gagliastro (Charlie Brown), Arlo Hill (Schroeder), David Krinitt (Linus van Pelt), Katie Mulholland (Sally Brown), David Sharrocks (Snoopy)

Performances through June 21 at Gloucester Stage Company

Box Office 978-281-4433 or www.gloucesterstage.org

Let's start right off with the good stuff. The familiar doghouse, makeshift psychiatrist's booth, and cavernous (empty) mailbox let you know that you have entered the land of the "Peanuts" kids, the creation of the late genius Charles M. Schulz. The whole gang appears on the stage: Charlie Brown in his iconic yellow pullover with the black zigzag, Schroeder at the piano, Linus clutching his blue blanket, Lucy bossing everyone around, Sally and her wide-eyed innocence, and Snoopy flying his Sopwith Camel. After decades of seeing them as one-dimensional characters in newsprint, and later in television animation, it is a treat to engage with living, breathing - oh, and singing and dancing - versions of our beloved old friends.

Celebrating three decades of professional theatre on Cape Ann, the Gloucester Stage Company is collaborating with Gloucester's Pathways for Children* to present the season-opener You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The original Off-Broadway production opened in 1967 and ran for four years with 1,597 performances. In 1999, the revival added dialogue by Michael Mayer and music by Andrew Lippa to take home the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and two Tony Awards. If ever there was a family musical, this is it. Adults have grown up with Charlie Brown et al, while children who may have never seen the comic strip's first run can still identify with the struggles and joys of the characters onstage. It is a heartwarming throwback and reminder of simpler days, filled with baseball, kites, and book reports.

Charlie Brown is like Sisyphus, repeatedly rolling a rock uphill, only to watch it roll back down. He never wins a baseball game and he can't fly a kite without it crashing into a tree; he never gets the nerve to speak to the little red-haired girl who he admires from afar and no one sends him a Valentine's card. Yet he never loses his spirit for long and continues to approach each day with hope and optimism. Steven Gagliastro captures Charlie's Everyman persona as he methodically plods through a typical day in the life. His face expresses the joy, frustration, or embarrassment that Charlie experiences, and, like a child, he dejectedly drops his head with every disappointment. 

Mary Callanan creates a crabby, multi-faceted Lucy who berates Charlie, bullies her little brother, and fawns over Schroeder. She transforms her usual smooth, butterscotch voice into peanut brittle to evoke Lucy's unbridled brashness. Newcomer Katie Mulholland imbues Sally with a righteous ditziness as the little girl seeking fairness in an unfair world. Her eyes tell the story when she discovers a series of catch phrases to help ease her way ("My New Philosophy"), and she dances a sweet pas de deux in a dream sequence about Linus and his blanket. David Krinitt runs the gamut from the thumb-sucking, blanket-draped insecure aspect of Linus to the philosophical, wise-beyond-his-years side seamlessly and reinforces that Linus is one of the more endearing of the Schulz kids.

Decidedly focused, albeit in a fanatical way, Schroeder has a passion for music and for Beethoven, in particular. It is fitting that the most striking voice in the cast belongs to his alter ego, Arlo Hill. Rounding out The Ensemble is David Sharrocks who stepped into the role of Snoopy as a replacement when rehearsals were already underway. He certainly takes to the dog's life, especially in his crowd-pleasing rendition of "Suppertime," replete with hyperbolic melodrama and gospel back-up from his cast mates.  

Scott Lafeber directs this group of grownups who have no trouble finding and displaying their inner child. They stomp, pout, and bop joyously to David Connolly's choreography, bringing to mind the dancing in the animated specials. All of the actors are making their GSC debuts and bring a chorus of wonderful voices to blend with Musical Director Michael Kreutz's five-piece band. Gagliastro does double duty, sitting in on trombone.

What the show lacks is a continuous level of energy, some of which could be attributed to a less than full house, but is also a by-product of the framework of the book. In between the musical numbers, much of the dialogue reads like the comic strip and would fit neatly into four little squares. Sometimes it feels like a parade of characters walks out and walks off, spouting a couple of lines that are left to hang in the air until the next song picks up the pace.

Overall, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a delightful nugget, filled with laughs and pithy aphorisms that have meaning for young and old alike. The six actors are appealing and give sincere performances in these iconic roles. If the Great Pumpkin is looking for a patch where he might pass an evening and escape the stresses of the real world, he ought to roll on over to the Gloucester Stage. No tricks, but lots of treats.

 

*Pathways is the leading provider of programs for children on Cape Ann and special youth ticket prices ($15) for children 12 and under are offered for all performances.

 Photo: Arlo Hill, Mary Callanan, Katie Mulholland, David Sharrocks, David Krinitt, Steven Gagliastro (by Mike Dean)

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