CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS Comes To Covey Center for the Arts

Christmas means hot chocolate, family, putting up the tree. But for many families, it’s not truly the Christmas season without the television shows that invoke holidays past—classics like Rudoph the Red-Nosed Reindeer and the black-and-white warmth of It’s a Wonderful Life.

But for many families, the Charlie Brown Christmas Special is the ultimate holiday home. With iconic music, a heartfelt story, and characters that you love (or love to hate), it’s a story that feels almost too big for the small screen. And with the upcoming performances of A Charlie Brown Christmas: LIVE on Stage! audiences will finally get the chance for an immersive journey into the magical world of Peanuts on Dec. 22-23.

A Very Special Special

“The stage show is pretty much the 27-30-minute-long special, but there is more added to it,” explains lead actor Joshua Plante, who plays Charlie Brown. “All of those beats that people love from the special that they expect, will be in it, as well as music that we’re allowed to use to make it more entertaining for a modern audience.”

The classic story centers on Charlie Brown, who is disillusioned by his friends’ (and dog’s) inability to celebrate Christmas for what it’s truly about, choosing to have a much more commercial view of the holiday season.

But all that changes when Charlie Brown is put in charge of the Christmas pageant, and tries to bring the spirit of the season back to his community—with varying degrees of success.  

“It really is his hopefulness that brings him back out of it,” says Plante. “Charlie Brown is always very hopeful, and that’s how you kind of have to center it. Is around that hopefulness, cause that’s what brings it back at the end, as well as just the sense of community with the Peanuts, throughout the play.

University of Utah Grad Brings the Excitement to Charlie Brown

Community is a huge element to this show, both onstage and off. The National Touring Production of Charlie Brown features a tight-knit group of actors, acrobats, dancers, singers, and production team members. And one of the key members of the cast, Isa Simmons, also has personal ties to the Utah community. She graduated with a performing degree from the University of Utah just this year.  

“I just graduated in May from the University of Utah,” Simmons laughs. “And just moved back to Florida in June. I feel like I was just in Utah 5 seconds ago. I’m excited to be back in the snow and mountains with my favorite people.”

While this tour marks a coming home, of sorts, for Simmons, she is most excited to be bringing this particular show to The Covey. The ideas about family, hope, and community, she believes, are exactly the kind of family-friendly fare that she loved about her time in Utah.

“Coming from Utah, I know how big community and family is there, and I think that’s a huge message that we have in the show: community and surrounding people in love. I think that’s something that will resonate with the community and I’m so excited to share it.”

Christmas Leveled Up: Live Jazz, Audience Interaction, and More

Of course, the musical theater production shares similar themes and plot from the 60-year-old holiday special, but there are huge, showstopping reasons why the live stage production is worth the trek out into the cold.

“It’s a full-fledged production, so it’s everything that you saw in the special,” explains Simmons. “We have big dance numbers and obviously we’re doing them full out. It’s a lot, but it’s so fun, it’s so high energy. We’re definitely sweating up there.”

With colorful costumes, huge set pieces, and brand new musical numbers based on the original award-winning score by Vince Guaraldi, it’s a holiday spectacle that must be seen to believe. And with a live jazz band, gymnasts, and even audience interaction, it is likely to be one of the most memorable Christmas performances of the season.

“We bring so much energy to what we’re doing that it’s hard not to watch, it’s hard not to enjoy it, because we’re enjoying it,” says Charlie Brown actor, Plante. “I feel very fortunate We all like each other, we all get along so well…It makes that sense of community a real feeling that we have and it’s super entertaining with a live band they’re all jazz musicians that will be playing the score.”

A Family Affair with Ticket Discounts

Because the show is so focused on family, The Covey has made a promise to offer family pricing and some of the best deals of the year on this special Charlie Brown performance series. And while adult prices are only $19 per ticket, kids tickets are less than $10 each.

“The goal was to make this show one you could share with the family,” says General Manager, Stephen Pullen. “This is a show for children, and we want everyone to be able to see it.”

The Covey has also released a special ticket price for Charlie Brown, with an exclusive Buy 2, Get 2 Free deal means more people can share in the feeling of warmth and community brought by this special cast.

“I’ve said the show is for everyone,” Plante reflects. “No matter the age, demographic, you will come and relate to something that is in it. This is an important year for the Peanuts. This is the 75th anniversary of the comic and 60th anniversary of the live TV special. We’re all just loving every moment of it and trying to make sure the audience is as well.”

A Charlie Brown Christmas: LIVE on Stage!

Date: Dec. 22-23, 2025

Time: 7:30 PM

Location: Covey Center for the Arts, 425 W. Center St., Provo, UT

Kids Tickets: $9.50 | $14.50 | $24.50 | $29.50

Adult Tickets: $19 | $29 | $49 | $59

Use code INSIDER50 for 50% off a 4-pack of tickets!

Salt Lake City Awards - Live Stats

Best Musical - Top 3

1. THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME (West Valley Arts)

16.2% of votes

2. A GENTLEMAN'S GUIDE TO LOVE & MURDER (Utah Shakespeare Festival)

8.1% of votes

3. SOMETHING ROTTEN! (Hopebox Theatre)

7.2% of votes

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