PEANUTS © United Feature Syndicate, Inc. Charlie
Brown and Snoopy come to life in "You’re a Good Man, Charlie
Brown."
By Michael Rosen-Molina
Daily Bruin Senior Staff
Good grief!
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” brings the
beloved Peanuts characters Linus, Lucy, Sally, Snoopy, Schroeder
and, of course, good ole Charlie Brown to the stage. Presented by
the UCLA Department of Music and based on situations from Charles
Schultz’s syndicated comic strip, the musical follows a day
in the life of Charlie Brown, from a baseball game to an encounter
with the object of his unrequited affection, the little red-headed
girl.
“It’s a good show,” said fourth-year computer
science student Joshua Silberman who plays Charlie Brown.
“It’s not a heavy show; it’s really fun. You
could almost say it’s blatantly musical theater since it has
slightly poppy music.”
The play started as a Broadway musical in 1950. The music
department will perform a revised version from 1999, that added
several new songs, including “Beethoven’s Day”
and “My New Philosophy” and replaced Peppermint Patty
with Sally.
Audiences will be most familiar with the Peanuts gang as two
dimensional drawings from Sunday cartoons. Portraying characters
about whom most people already have very definite ideas about
proved slightly daunting for the actors.
“I was a little intimidated,” said third-year
theater student Amber East who plays Sally. “But you’ll
be intimidated almost every time you play an established character.
If you’re playing “˜Romeo and Juliet,’ you’d
be just as intimidated.”
In creating a costume for a live action Peanuts character, some
people might be tempted to imitate the huge-headed mascots of
Knott’s Berry Farm’s Camp Snoopy. “You’re a
Good Man, Charlie Brown” found a more workable solution to
the costuming dilemma, however: the actors simply don the trademark
dress of their characters. Lucy appears in her blue dress, Linus in
his red striped shirt, and Snoopy wears a white t-shirt and white
overalls to simulate white fur.
“It uses the colors from the comic strip,” Silberman
said. “I wear the yellow shirt with the black stripe. There
was some talk about maybe getting our heads shaved, but we decided
against that.”
Even without the trademark bald head, Silberman still found it
easy to identify with his character.
“I think everyone identifies with Charlie Brown at some
point,” Silberman said. “Although it’s not easy
to remember what it was like when you were 6 years old. I try to
think more simplistically and optimistically. The big picture
doesn’t matter as much as small things, like finding the
right ice cream cone.”
Since the show is based on a comic strip, East found a unique
way to prepare for her role.
“I read the comics and watched the specials,” East
said. “If you watch the show you’ll notice that the
movements are kind of choppy. For a while we thought we should do
something to build on that, but then the whole point of doing a
live show is to bring these characters to life, to make them more
real.”
“I’m a little sister, too,” East continued.
“I know how little sisters work.”
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” is also
unique in that it has been triple cast, using three entirely
different casts in different performances.
“It’s hard because that means less rehearsal time
for everyone,” East said. “But it’s also good
because it gives more people a chance to get involved.”
The performance is the final project for the 2001 Winter quarter
Musical Theater Workshop 90L. Open to all students willing to
audition, the class generally takes the form of a workshop during
the fall and spring quarters, but always performs a show in winter
quarter.
Above all, Silberman emphasized the light-hearted nature of the
show. “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” might
not tackle the pressing social issues of the day, but, like its
parent comic, it is a gentle, warm-hearted production that touches
even the most cynical viewer.
“It’s a good, warm type of show,” Silberman
said. “There aren’t any real issues, there’s no
overall major plot. It’s a great date show and you
can’t help but come out smiling. All three casts just do a
wonderful job.”
THEATER: “You’re a Good Man,
Charlie Brown” plays Feb. 22 to 24, at 8 p.m. at Schoenberg
Auditorium and again at 3 p.m. on Feb. 24. For more information,
contact the Department of Music at (310) 825- 2101.