You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown

Fresh off the huge success of the challenging Les Miserables last fall, Northwest Cook County’s Spotlight Youth Theater has switched gears, and is giving us a light, fresh look at the wildly popular Peanuts characters in You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Performances run February 12-21 at Prairie Lakes Community Center, 515 E. Thacker St. Des Plaines.

“Charlie Brown is special because it’s about building a community of children,” says Assistant Director Renee Rundquist. “All these characters and all the bits and pieces that contribute to this greater story are about childhood.”

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a 1967 musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts. During the early 1960s, Gesner had begun writing songs based on the comic strip, but was unable to get the rights from United Features Syndicate to publish the music. Eventually Gesner sent Schulz a tape of some of the songs and Gesner soon had permission to record them, which he did in 1966.

The stage adaptation of the 1966 album, entitled You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, went into rehearsal in New York City in February 1967. On March 7, 1967, the musical premiered off-Broadway at Theatre 80 in the East Village, and this production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown lasted 1,597 performances, closing on Valentine’s Day in 1971.

Now, 49 years later, a new group of performers will bring these beloved characters to life. “People like Peanuts so much because it is relatable. We’ve all had days where we feel like Charlie Brown, and we’ve all had days when we are Lucy,” says Rundquist. “I think we wish we could go back to the days when we were like Sally, when we were innocent; when the world was open before us, and we don’t have to worry about the concerns we have from day to day.”

Lyle Leland plays everyone’s favorite dog, Snoopy. “I think what makes this show so important for me is it is my final show with this specific theater community, this family,” says Leland, who at age 18 is graduating out of the company. “But also this specific story and these characters are really treasured by my own personal family. My dad has always been a huge fan of the comic series and of this musical in particular. I think being able to tell this story for him is making it a really personal connection, and an important time for me.”

Audiences are often pleasantly surprised when they come to a Spotlight show by the high caliber talent in the voices of the performers, all of whom are 8 to 18 years old. Carol Taylor is the show’s Vocal Director. “The actors are terrific. They have amazingly high quality voices, and that’s what I am all about as the vocal director. The level of talent that came out for this show was definitely above what I had anticipated.” She’s done 11 shows in 12 years for Spotlight. This will also be her last show with the company (she is moving out of state).

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and his gang are enjoying a high level of popularity right now thanks to the recent movie and the 50th anniversary of the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Seeing these characters come to life on stage is just another way of enjoying them. Amanda Spenner is the show’s Director. “This is a fantastic show because it combines the classic Charlie Brown characters and situations with fresh music and dancing,” she says. “Funny moments and nuggets of wisdom make it relatable for both adults and children.”

There are important themes buried in the childlike appeal of the story, however. Rundquist says, “Charlie Brown might seem like a fluffy show on the outside, but as we dive into these characters in rehearsal, we discover the deeper motivations behind them. And because there is an ability to connect with them, because it is fun and spontaneous, and because of those deeper themes, I think it’s a great show for ALL ages – everyone will get something out of it.”

Leland adds, “You can see this show from so many different points of view, and it covers a whole range, a whole demographic of audiences. But we can all connect to it, because we all know children, we all know THESE children, and we know that children can spout profound knowledge at any given moment.”

The focus on children seems especially relevant for this particular theater community. Spotlight Youth Theater is a non-profit, educational theater arts program for students 5-18 in twelve different areas in the greater Chicago and Milwaukee region, and has approximately 6,000 students per year. Each area offers summer camps and after-school classes in dance, voice, drama and theatrical specialties, and performs three fully staged musical productions per year. Spotlight is non-discriminatory and welcomes all children.

“This is a great Spotlight show because of the diversity of the characters and because it showcases kids beings kids and overcoming challenges, celebrating victories, and figuring out who they are and who they want to be,” says Spenner.

Leland and Taylor have had positive, rewarding experiences at Spotlight, both from the side of the student and the side of the teacher. Leland talks about how much Spotlight has meant to him. “In the terms of personal development and growth, it has meant worlds. It might seem cheesy and cliché, but I can’t remember who I was before Spotlight. These stories I have been telling, and the way these people have impacted my life personally, have changed me so much in the two years I have been here.”

Taylor says she has loved working with the students at Spotlight, watching them grow and develop. Besides Spenner as Director, Rundquist as Assistant Director, and Taylor as Vocal Director, the 5-person Charlie Brown directing team also includes Marina Sterner as Choreographer, and Rebecca Leland as Directing Intern.

So bring your whole family and join this talented group of performers for a year in the life of Charlie Brown, as he searches for happiness. Whether it’s a baseball game, a day at school, or Beethoven’s birthday, nobody knows how to celebrate like the Peanuts gang! To purchase tickets, call 847-516-2298 or visit www.spotlight.org. Tickets are $9-$12 presale, + $2 at the door, and group, child, and senior prices available. The Prairie Lakes Theater seats only 300, so shows sell out very quickly. There will also be a “Special Night for Special Friends” performance on February 10 for families of special needs children. Call the office for details.

Photo Credit: Sonce Landa