You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown has been a popular title on the amateur circuit for years. With its lovable assortment of characters from Charles Schultz’s comic-strip Peanuts, Harvest Rain’s production under the direction of Meg Ham brought out the charm and fun of Clark Gesner’s delightful musical.

Tom Oliver’s Charlie Brown was totally appealing and shone on “T.E.A.M,” “Book Report” and the title tune. Shaun Kohlman’s Schroeder was a terrific foil for Lucy, and Alex Valentine’s Sally, even without a solo, was consistently perky.

Kristen Barros had a great time being Lucy and made the most of her numbers, particularly the clever “Schroeder,” set as a counterpoint to Beethoven’s Ninth, and “Little Known Facts,” in which she gave heaps of wrong information to her brother Linus. Matty Johnston was a likeable Snoopy and worked hard to almost make his “Supper Time” song into the showstopper it can be.

Unfortunately Patrick Aiken’s Linus was mostly an incomprehensible mumble, but musically he did OK with “My Blanket and Me.” Mind you the venue can probably take some of the blame for that. Far from acoustically perfect, lines disappear up into the ether frequently.

Mitchell Dormer on piano and Isaac Cavallero on drums were unobtrusive and constant. Best number in the show was the finale “Happiness” which sent the audience out with a warm glow. Charles Schultz would have approved.

Peter Pinne   

Images: Tom Oliver as Charlie Brown, Alex Valentine as Sally Brown, & the cast of You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown (L-R) - Patrick Aiken as Linus, Tom Oliver as Charlie Brown, Matty Johnston as Snoopy, Kristen Barros as Lucy, Shaun Kohlman as Schroeder and Alex Valentine as Sally. All photography by Trent Rouillon.