Cast

Synopsis

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Directors Notes

The enormous success of the cartoon characters created by Charles Schulz is not just the result of commercial exploitation of the type that has transformed so many of our favorite puppet and cartoon personalities into marketable gimmicks. The fact that Snoopy and Charlie Brown T shirts, soap, cards, calendars and the rest so far out-sell any of their rivals is above all a measure of the universal appeal of the ‘Peanuts’ characters through which Schulz skilfully displayed a fine subtlety of humour and playful fancy. The nature of this appeal is elusive, but there is cunning in allowing a wisdom of the ways of the world to come from the mouths of a group of 5 year olds and a dog.

The characters have developed over the years into highly recognisable individuals: Schroeder, thoughtful and artistic, pursued by the bold and impetuous Lucy; Patty, simple and uncomplicated; Linus, the baby of the group but nevertheless the one with the superior intellect; Snoopy, self-opinionated but vulnerable; Charlie Brown, for whom nothing ever seems to go quite right and who carries the cares of the world on his shoulders.

It was on some date in the late 1960s that Clark Gesner and a group of other ‘Peanuts’ admirers got together in New York with a few ideas, a few tunes and a determination to translate the essence of the cartoon characters into words and music. The result was ‘You’re a good man, Charlie Brown’ which opened off-Broadway in 1969 to start one of the longest runs in New York theatre history. Here is our version of a show that is somewhat different from our usual performances; but we never resist a challenge!