author: Amanda N. Gunther
The thing you have to remember is spirit and teamwork! And that happiness is anything and anyone that’s loved by you. And you’ll just love all the spirit and teamwork that’s coming together in Stand Up For…Theatre’s production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown! It may not be the Broadway revival version (so no Sally, no “Beethoven Day” and no “That’s My New Philosophy”) but it’s still adorable, heart-warming and well-performed by six enthusiastic and energetic actors who are just living their best lives as the iconic Peanut Gang— Charlie Brown, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, Peppermint Patty, and of course, Snoopy! Directed and Choreographed by Ed Higgins with Vocal Direction by Dough ‘Scratch’ Lea, and Musical Direction by Mimi Mcginniss, this feel-good, fun show is a perfect summertime start for anyone who’s ready to enjoy the hot months here in Maryland. (And DoodleHATCH has plenty of air-conditioning!)
Landi Rodriguez on Set Design (with construction crew Kevin Cooper and Michael Mayle) keeps the ultra-simplistic musical to its basic roots; nothing overly complex, just a perfect little dog-house for Snoopy, looking very cartoonish, and some rolling furnishings— like the VanPelt household couch and iconic ‘Psychiatric Help’ booth; it lets the adorable characters shine in all of the quirky non-sequiturs Charles M. Schultz’ comic strips designed for them. Andrew Vida on lights gives some lovely up-and-down moments, particularly when Charlie Brown is soliloquizing at the audience, and keeps things neutral and smoothly operated. Cathy Pritchard and Grant Myers go back to basics with the show’s costumes as well— iconically mapping out Charlie Brown’s yellow shirt, Lucy’s blue dress, and of course, Linus’ sky-blue blanket. Shout-out to Rebecaa Bowman, the show’s makeup consultant, for those perfectly placed freckles on Peppermint Patty and the patchy eye-coloring for Snoopy.
Having a live pit (even a small one with just three performers) is quite the appreciated necessity when it comes to the performance space at DoodleHATCH. Led by Mimi McGinniss on keys, with Casey Jones on percussion and David Booth on flute, you get clean, well-balanced sounds for these six performers when they’re doing their singing thing (which is a lot less frequently than you’d think for a musical show…this is more like a play with some music…remember it’s not the Broadway revival!) It’s also nice to have McGinniss, Jones, and Booth able to vamp and cover scenic changes, few though there are in this production, so that the audience doesn’t have to suspend their disbelief too much when the stage hands roll the sofa in and out of the scene.
Vocal Director ‘Scratch’ Doug Lea does a fine job of getting these six to come together in some beautiful sounds. Particularly during the titular number and again at the show’s conclusion during “Happiness” you get a well-rounded, robust blend of six voices that are well-tuned with one another and carrying forth those waves of joy that are meant to fill in the gaps of some of the more darkly-humorous moments of this production. Lea encourages these six performers to find their footing during “The Book Report” song, which is a challenge in and of itself as each character (sans Peppermint Patty) is bouncing around trying to do their own thing with the song until they all come in crashing over top one another (intentionally written that way) at the end of the number. “Glee Club Rehearsal” is also another moment where Lea’s expertise really comes in handy.
In the delightful role of Snoopy, Cory Bauer has perfect comic timing. And his bark is too cute for words, especially when it’s that simple, monosyllabic ‘woof.’ The one-lined zingers that Bauer gets to deliver in this role are just the right blend of cheeky. And you get a glorious enthusiasm from him during his eponymous number where he’s battling The Red Baron and again lots and lots of movement when he’s racing around during “Suppertime.” Playing Peppermint Patty, Charlie Tell has a wonderful voice that you don’t get to hear nearly enough of in this production (mostly because this original version didn’t give the Peppermint Patty character much to do) but Tell is spunky in all of the character’s line-delivery and you do get to hear their voice, alongside of Chloe Scully (playing Schroeder) in “Happiness”, where both characters have been given solo features so that their respective voices are heard clearly. It makes you long for the Broadway revival so that you could hear Scully sing “Beethoven Day” or see Tell as Sally Brown and get to hear “That’s My New Philosophy” but you do get to thoroughly enjoy both Scully and Tell in their respective roles in this production; both performers are equally adorable, talented, and engaged with their Peanut Gang characters.
Landi Rodriguez is really nailing the role of Linus, particularly when it comes to making the Linus character smarter beyond the character’s years. What’s truly brilliant (a uniformed ensemble decision) is the way Rodriguez has Linus reacting to Lucy all during “Little Known Facts.” Considering the pontification performed by Rodriguez’ Linus in “The Book Report” the ‘full-lip-service’ buy-in that Rodriguez now presents in this number against Lucy, as she explains utter-nonsense-facts about the way the world works, is truly priceless. You get these hidden smirks and smiles and barely contained giggles from Rodriguez as they try to keep a straight-face in pretending to agree with all the chimerical chaos coming out of Lucy’s lips in the song. Rodriguez also does a lovely soft-shoe number during “My Blanket and Me” and really endears the audience to Linus and the blanket in that song.
Playing the extra crabby, totally bombastic, and ultimately over-the-top character of Lucy VanPelt, Amariya Kailo is a delight to watch! She’ll give you five— count them, one, two, three, four, FIVE ✊— good reasons to pay attention to her, not the least of which is her commanding stage presence. With a lovely soprano sound that gets bandied about during the group numbers and a sassy, in-charge sound that she uses for “Little Known Facts” you get a clear sense of exactly how well Kailo understands the iconic nature of Lucy VanPelt. It’s also really lovely to see her in the “Doctor is In” sketch with Charlie Brown and just try not to laugh when she’s parading around the living room claiming to be queen with that magnificent purple cape and diamond crown.
Taking up the titular role, Aaron Parton does a fine job with good man Charlie Brown. He’s a bit over-the-top with the melodrama at times, but it reads well with the overall verve of the production. And when he’s racing-pace through “The Kite Song” its quite cute. He’s got a good handle on his articulation (much like Chloe Scully demonstrates with the chaos-patter during “The Book Report”) and a solid handle on how to belt out bits of songs that are really meant to be heartfelt. You get this sense that the overwhelming anxiety and depression fizzles up inside of Charlie Brown right alongside all the other complex emotions of this young character, all of which Parton does a good job of portraying on stage. And his comic timing is pretty on point too.
Watch Stand Up For…Theatre paint an adorable little picture with music and words; their production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is quite charming and great for all ages this summer.
Running Time: Approximately 90 minutes with one intermission
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown plays through June 23rd 2024 with Stand Up For…Theatre at DoodleHATCH— 8775 Cloudleap Court in Columbia, MD. Tickets are available for purchase at the door or in advance online.
