(Above: Charlie Brown, played by Blake Nelson, and Laurel Merz as his faithful dog, Snoopy, head the cast of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, at the Cottage Theatre; photos by Susan Goes.)
By Randi Bjornstad
One of the most popular and best-loved cartoons of all time — Peanuts — comes to life on the stage of the Cottage Theatre in Cottage Grove from Feb. 13-19 in a play titled You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
The newspaper comic strip has been beloved by several generations of readers by now — Charles M. Schultz’s concept dates to 1948, and it first appeared in newsprint on Oct. 2, 1950, and had a 50-year run before its last publication date on Feb. 13, 2000.
The strip was described this way: “Good ol’ Charlie Brown is loyal, determined, and just a bit wishy-washy. He’s a true friend, a dedicated baseball manager, and very responsible when it comes to taking care of his dog, Snoopy. Charlie Brown never gives up, even when he probably should. He is kind and patient by nature, and wears his heart on his sleeve.”
Who couldn’t like a guy like that? Well, apparently Charlie Brown developed his likable character a bit later than the earliest comic strips. The very first one featured two kids, Shermy and Patty, sitting on a step as Charlie walks up the street. Shermy says, “Well, here comes ol’ Charlie Brown!” As Charlie approaches, Shermy adds, “Good ol’ Charlie Brown …. Yes sir!” and as Charlie passes by, continues with, “Good ol’ Charlie Brown…” But when Charlie has gone, Shermy narrows his eyes and says, “How I hate him!”
Apparently in the beginning Charlie Brown was a cheeky prankster who often made his childhood friends the butt of his jokes and tricks. But as the years went on, his personality grew — he befriended the much-younger Schroeder and taught the little boy how to play the piano, told him about Beethoven, and actually was the person who put the bust of the composer on the other boy’s piano. Eventually, the two boys were portrayed as similar ages.
Ages and relationships were fluid in the early years of the comic, taking a decade or more to settle into the characters and personalities that everyone associates with the cartoon now.
(Wikipedia.org has a thorough discussion of the origin and evolution of the comic strip and its future iterations on stage and on television.)
The musical
The Cottage Theatre production is a musical look at an ordinary day in the life of self-effacing Charlie Brown and the rest of the Peanuts gang, which includes the imperious and bossy Lucy who also dispenses questionable advice for a price, piano-playing Schroeder, Charlie’s little sister Sally, Linus with his perpetual blanket in tow, and of course, the incomparable beagle, Snoopy, whose doghouse at any moment can become a flying machine for his World War I flying ace persona.
The cast includes The cast Blake Nelson as Charlie Brown, Amber Hagen as Lucy, Laurel Merz as Snoopy, Julia Shepherd as Linus, Sophia James as Sally, and Ava Coleman as Schroeder.
But there’s also a double-casting of sorts, with six ensemble players who perform understudy roles for the main cast but also perform those roles themselves twice during the three-weekend run of the show. They are Jodi Arend (Sally understudy), Hailey Eckhart (Lucy understudy,) Stuart McClean (Schroeder understudy), Maddie Paige (Snoopy understudy), Moura Stewart (Linus understudy), and Cameron Tunnell (Charlie Brown understudy).
Conductor and director for this production is Mark VanBeever, with Garrhett Nelson as assistant director, Maddie Paige as choreographer, Jaclyn Beck as vocal director, and Bil Morrill as stage manager. Designers include Rachel Froom (set), Kali McDonald (costume), and Trinity Riddell (lighting).
Cottage Theatre: You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
When: Evening performances at 7:30 p.m. on Feb. 3-4, 9-11, and 16-18, matinees at 2:30 p.m. on Feb. 5, 12, and 19, with American Sign Language (ASL) interpretation on Thursday, Feb. 16
Where: Cottage Theatre, 700 Village Drive, Cottage Grove
Tickets: $27 for adults, $15 for youths, available online at cottagetheatre.org or by telephone at 541-942-8001; all reserve seating, advance purchase recommended
The main cast of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, at Cottage Theatre: left to right: Linus (Julia Shepherd), Lucy (Amber Hagen), Charlie Brown (Blake Nelson), Sally (Jodi Arend), Schroeder (Stuart McClean), and in front, Snoopy (Laurel Merz)
