By Dr. Tiffany Raymond, PhD and Theron Raymond (5th grader)
Stage 62 continues its 62nd season with kid-friendly musicals based on comics as they “cat-apult” from Garfield to Snoopy with “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”. The musical is based on Charles Schultz’s “Peanuts” comic strip with book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner.
As aptly stated by my 5th grade co-reviewer, this play is “like branches of the same size on a tree.” The play is more a series of interconnected vignettes than a cohesive narrative. Stage 62 keeps it lively, but because of the play’s episodic nature and lack of plot, it does feel long at two hours.
The 16 songs provide the connective thread. Musicals typically have the book written by one person and music and lyrics by another. Gesner is credited with all three roles in the creation of Charlie Brown, and music and lyrics were clearly his strength.
The music is captivating thanks to a live 5-piece band. Brandon Marzke channels Beethoven-loving piano virtuoso Schroeder. Marzke’s “playing” is perfectly timed with live accompaniment from pianist Matt Brown. Quinn Patrick Shannon elegantly balances the roles of director and choreographer. Schroeder champions the creation of a Beethoven Day in a song of the same name, which culminates with him getting on top of the piano to sing with his friends gathered round him. Lighting designer Garth Schafer thoughtfully dims the lights to intensify the mood. Shannon captures the palpable reality of music as a unifying force for community, and Marzke makes it feel sacred.
Chris Martin’s giant props of huge yellow pencils and oversized baseball mitts are ingenious. These visual anchors drive empathy by reminding us kids are consistently navigating a world made for grown-ups. Charlie Brown (Joe Kosha) is forced to go on tiptoe to peek into a giant mailbox, heightening the tension of whether he’ll be rewarded in finding a valentine.
Andrew Mours steals the show as the indomitable beagle Snoopy. He doesn’t speak when humans are present, but his nonverbals sing. When Lucy (Julia Kreutzer) demands that Charlie Brown answer a survey about her, Snoopy reflects what Charlie Brown is tentative to say for fear of retribution. Lucy asks if her personality is A.) forceful B.) pleasing or C.) objectionable. Shannon has Mours fiercely exaggerate his affirmative nodding for both A.) and C). In this way, Snoopy can boldly say what others fear and reflects the common human sentiment as under duress, Charlie Brown cautiously responds with A.) and another human chooses C.
Chris Russell is vibrant and energetic in the role of Linus with his exuberant thumb-sucking and omnipresent blanket, which gets its own song. As a sibling, he’s honest with his tempestuous sister, Lucy. He immediately answers 95 when she inquires about her crabbiness on a scale of 1-100. She immediately smacks him, affirming Charlie Brown was right to be cautious in his reply.
Mackenzie Heidenreich captures the spirited Sally. She particularly shines as she sings “My New Philosophy.” Sally roundrobins through different philosophies to find one that fits her, reminding us of the way kids cycle through fads and philosophies as they figure out who they are.
Charlie Brown is more boy than man, and while he is good, his goodness often seems unreciprocated. His loneliness and depression are touchstones. The play starts with an airing of the grievances. Each of the four kids talk about Charlie Brown’s faults with Lucy reminding us Charlie has “failure face.” The content feels like a campaign for mental health awareness and intervention. Kosha tries to make himself small during the school lunch period. Charlie Brown hunches alone over his brownbag lunch and sighs that he only has “2,863 more lunches to go.” His isolation is a daily event for him (and so many others). These little heart-wrenching moments remind us we all have the opportunity to look around, identify those who are struggling, and help them feel a little less alone and more included. We can all be better people.
Stage 62’s production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” runs through April 28, 2024 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library & Music Hall in Carnegie, PA.
