You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown

In the wake of the Peanuts movie, and just in time for the school holidays, comes a family friendly musical that first appeared on Broadway in 1971, and enjoyed a revival in 1999.

Performances by all six cast members are earnestly delivered, and strongly sung, from the glass-half-empty Charlie Brown (Cameron Macdonald), the queen of crabbiness Lucy (Courtney Glass), blanket-carrying philosopher Linus (Adam Porter), and Beethoven tragic, Schroeder (Josh Robson).

But the most generous applause at tonight’s preview performance was reserved for everyone’s favourite dog, Snoopy (Luigi Lucente), and unswervingly funny Sally (Sarah Morrison). If Pig Pen is your favourite you’ll be disappointed as he is nowhere to be seen.

Set design is constructed from portable stairs and two portable, adult sized, picture frames cleverly hung with variously painted roller blinds. The comic strip border around the stage, with Schultz’s signature on the bottom right corner, is a nice touch.

In spite of four Tony nominations, this show has problems. For instance, who is the target audience? While the show is ostensibly centred on children, jokes and references scoot way out of the easy reach of junior patrons, with references to Socrates (Who was she anyway?) and the Red Baron.

Drawing on thousands of Schultz’s comic strips, the show honours its “Peanuts” origins. Essentially this means it hangs together rather tenuously by a series of short scenarios, songs, and one-liners with no core plot to ground the action. How a child would absorb the chain of unrelated events I am not sure.

In spite of these frailties You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is a fun way to spend a few hours this winter.

Lucy Graham