You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown Is
Lively and Tight, with Actors
Expertly Inhabiting Their Characters

The cartoon characters of Charles M. Schulz's Peanuts (which he began publishing in 1950) are so well known that we could consider them to be part of our cultural mythology. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 Off-Broadway and 1971 Broadway musical comedy, based on six of those characters -- Charlie Brown, Lucy Van Pelt, Linus Van Pelt, Schroeder, Sally Brown, and Snoopy. The 1999 Broadway Revival features book, music, and lyrics are by Clark Gesner, with additional dialogue by Michael Mayer, and additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa.

We all have a little bit of the meek, nervous, lack-of-self-confidence Charlie Brown in us, and we can see traits of the others in people that we encounter in our lives.

Like the comic strip, the musical presents stories that are both entertaining and endearing, and it infuses them with light-handed philosophical, psychological, and sociological overtones.

Stone Soup Theatre Company's current production, directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, with musical direction by Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, has two different casts -- one adult cast and one teenage student cast. It is playing through Sunday, June 22nd, at the Performing Arts Center of the Carolina Friends School in Durham.

Friday, June 3rd's, opening-night performance was lively and tight, with every actor expertly inhabiting their character, playing the familiar nuances that we expect from each.

The Play:

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a series of vignettes that tell and/or act out familiar storylines found in the comic strip. Some are short, some are long, and some are episodically woven in among the others.

During the show we are reminded of Charlie Brown's (mis-)adventures, involving kite-flying, baseball, football, and Valentines Day. We also see him daunted by aspects of his crush on "the little red-haired girl" (whom we never see).

Among other situations, we see the Lucy-with-Schroeder-at-the-piano dynamic, the Linus-and-his-blanket routines, an episode of the Snoopy-and-the-Red-Baron saga, and one of Charlie Brown's visits to his "psychiatrist."

Various amounts of song-and-dance enhance several of the vignettes, and they are always lively.

The Acting:

In a word: impressive! Doubly impressive because of two paradoxical-sounding aspects:

1. I was confused, but in a good way. Although I came to the theater, knowing that the opening-night cast would be the adults, every one of these actors had so expertly stepped into their role in such a "young" fashion, that I had to check the program at intermission to verify that these were, indeed, the adults (rather than some very prodigious teenagers).
2. Although the characters are from a comic strip, the actors' performances were all "real" enough, "nuanced" enough to avoid the suggestion that they were merely "cartoon characters."

In addition, the songs are all well-sung, and the choreography is always well-executed.

Chris Kudlick's Charlie Brown elicits laughter and sympathy at the same time. Although Kudlick's head is neither huge nor round, his expressions and his posturing made him "look the part." His vocal qualities and tones of voice enhance the illusion.

Loren Wait is on-point with the bossiness of Lucy (and the cluelessness thereof). She positively shines as "the doctor." And there is a distinct self-assuredness in her gait as she walks, skips, or runs across the stage.

Reid Bowman's Shroeder combines the artist-and-intellectual airs nicely. BONUS: His piano playing is top notch.

Brady Bowman has the cute aspects expected of Linus down pat, and delivers the occasional unexpected moment of precociousness.

Sofia Alba turns in a strong youngest-member-of-the-group performance as Sally -- especially during her "philosophical" musings.

Blythe Meyer invests Snoopy with the correct ratio of human-to-dog personality and plays each of their episodes to the hilt.

The Tech:

Production values are all sound. Set design and carpentry by John Paul Middlesworth, while rather minimalist, are precise and imaginative at times.

Lighting design is by Ava Bitsas. Sound design is by Jos Purvis. Costumes are by Lisa Hess. HD Welker, Mark Welker, and Kate Lamb team up to provide props. Hair-and-makeup design is by Pam Guidry-Vollers.

The Orchestra:

Music director Joanna Sisk-Purvis serves as conductor, and also plays flute and keyboard. Cole Swanson also covers keyboard, Jeremy Boomhower is on bass, and Zoë Boomhower supplies percussion.

Nice Touches:

• Having each character hold a "name tag" sign as they stand in a line during the opening number.
• The mailbox -- it appears almost as though by magic, and it creates a strong echo at key moments.
• The kazoos.
• The floating-blanket sequence.
• The kite-flying scene.
• The choir robes and the "hallelujah/revival" physicality in the dinnertime scene.
• Woodstock's cameo appearance.

Memorable Lines:

• "All I need is one more try."
• "I don't know much about the past. I wasn't here when it happened."
• "[Snoopy] only pretends to like you because you feed him."
• "Don't tell me my life isn't a Shakespearean tragedy."
• "Clearly, some philosophies are not for all people."
• "What's wrong with making mealtime a joyous occasion?"

From the Department of Picky-Picky:

• Charlie Brown isn't wearing his trademark zigzag patterned shirt.
• Early in the play, Shroeder uses the word "punt" in reference to Charlie Brown's inability to kick a football. The classic Charlie Brown football foible, however, involves "place kicking" rather than punting.

The Bottom Line:

In 1962, Schulz published his first book: Happiness Is a Warm Puppy, a collection of illustrations (accompanied by brief text), featuring Charlie Brown and his friends as they define happiness; it's a testament that we can all find happiness in the simple things in life.

The warmth and humor of that book is captured in "Happiness" -- the final song, sung by the full company.

It's always fun to see old friends, and this sextet of characters from Peanuts supply a more than ample dose of that kind of fun.

Stone Soup Theatre Company's You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown has earned the "All the Cool People Seal of Approval."

YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (In Person at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 18th [Adult Cast]; 7:30 p.m. Thursday, June 19th [Teen Cast]; 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, June 20th and 21st [Adult Cast]; and 2:30 p.m. Sunday, June 22nd [Adult Cast]), based on the Peanuts comic strip by Charles M. Schulz, with book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, additional dialogue by Michael Mayer, and additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa, directed by Melissa S. Craib Dombrowski, music directed by Dr. Joanna Sisk-Purvis, and starring an adult cast that includes Chris Kudlick as Charlie Brown, Loren Wait as Lucy Van Pelt, Reid Bowman as Schroeder, Sofia Alba as Sally Brown, Brady Bowman as Linus Van Pelt, and Blythe Meyer as Snoopy and a teen/understudy cast that includes Finn Purvis as Charlie Brown, Piper Knight as Lucy Van Pelt, Tobin Wright as Schroeder, Nicole Taxman as Sally Brown, Joshua McEwen as Linus Van Pelt, and Anaya Smith as Snoopy (Stone Soup Theatre Company in the Performing Arts Center of the Carolina Friends School in Durham). PRESENTER: http://stonesouptheatreco.com/, https://www.facebook.com/StoneSoupTheatreCo, https://www.instagram.com/stonesouptheatreco/, and https://www.tiktok.com/@stonesouptheatre. 2024-25 SEASON: https://stonesouptheatreco.com/current-season/. VENUE: https://www.cfsnc.org/, https://www.facebook.com/carolinafriends, https://www.instagram.com/carolinafriends, and https://www.youtube.com/user/CFSNC. CAMPUS MAP: https://www.stonesouptheatreco.com/wp-content/uploads/CFS-Campus-Map.pdf. DIRECTIONS: https://www.google.com/maps/. CHARLES M. SCHULZ (Minneapolis, MN-born cartoonist, nee Charles Monroe Schulz, 1922-2000): https://schulzmuseum.org/about-schulz/, https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/119173/charles-m-schulz, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/charles-m-schulz-11161, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0776433/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_M._Schulz. YOU'RE A GOOD MAN, CHARLIE BROWN (1967 Off-Broadway, 1968 West End, and 1971 Broadway musical comedy and 1999 Broadway Revival): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/p/65775/youre-a-good-man-charlie-brown-revised, https://web.archive.org/web/20120322233036/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=1250, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-show/youre-a-good-man-charlie-brown-9537, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/You're_a_Good_Man,_Charlie_Brown. STUDY GUIDE (Utah Shakespeare Festival): https://www.bard.org/study-guides/you-re-a-good-man-charlie-brown-study-guide/. CLARK GESNER (Augusta, ME-born composer, lyricist, and playwright, 1938-2002): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/2286/clark-gesner, https://web.archive.org/web/20120322233036/http://www.lortel.org/LLA_archive/index.cfm?search_by=show&id=1250, and https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/clark-gesner-4858, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0315139/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clark_Gesner. MICHAEL MAYER (Bethesda, MD-born director and playwright): https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/115088/michael-mayer, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/michael-mayer-15595, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1555287/, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Mayer_(director). ANDREW LIPPA (Leeds, England-born composer and lyricist): https://andrewlippa.com/, https://www.concordtheatricals.com/a/116762/andrew-lippa, https://www.ibdb.com/broadway-cast-staff/andrew-lippa-13451, and https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrew_Lippa. TICKETS: $30 ($25 students with ID), except Pay-What-You-Can Night on Wednesday, June 18th, plus taxes and fees. Click here to buy tickets. INFORMATION: 919-408-7228 or stonesouptheatreco@gmail.com. PLEASE DONATE TO: Stone Soup Theatre Company and Carolina Friends School. Susie Potter's Triangle Arts Review Review and Susie Potter's Triangle Arts Review Interview with Blythe Meyer

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