By George Basler
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a show with proven staying power. First performed in 1967, the musical is based on the popular comic strip Peanuts, created by cartoonist Charles M. Schultz back in the 1950s.
A lot has happened since then, but the Peanuts gang remains firmly a part of pop culture. “It is one of the older shows with a really strong story line that lasts, and a nice message at the end,” said Rob Egan, artistic director for BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier), which is presenting the musical as its last show of the 2023-24 season.
The production opens May 24 for a two-weekend run at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott. Egan is directing a six-person cast, all of whom have appeared in other local and regional productions. They’ll play the classic Peanuts characters: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy, Linus, Schroeder and Sally.
“The tone of the show is upbeat and sentimental,” Egan said. “For anyone familiar with the Peanuts characters, the show is true to that.”
The 1967 production, which ran for 1,597 performances Off Broadway, featured music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and a script written collaboratively by Gesner, cast members and the production team.
A 1999 revival offered some new dialogue from Michael Meyer and three new songs by Andrew Lippa. The revival also replaced Patty (an early Peanuts character not to be confused with Peppermint Patty) with Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally. BLAST is presenting the revival version.
The musical features a series of vignettes that take Charlie Brown through his day. During the two acts, the characters play baseball, struggle with homework, swoon over crushes and learn about the nature of happiness.
The musical is an intimate production that works especially well in a smaller theater, such as the Cider Mill Stage, Egan said. The challenge is performing the show in a way that catches the curiosity and hope that is the essence of childhood while not acting it in a way that’s childlike, he added.
Cast members are Stephen Kane (Charlie Brown), Isaac Weber (Snoopy), Kerry Ann Kane (Lucy), Richard Aton (Linus), Nicholas O’Neil (Schroeder) and Amanda Blake (Sally).
Music will be provided by a small orchestra, led by Sonny DeWitt, musical director.
“The show is just as good for audiences today as it was back then (when the musical first opened),” Egan said.
Moreover, it’s a show that is for “anybody of every age,” he emphasized. “You get to leave the theater happy.”
IF YOU GO: BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier (BLAST) will present You’re a Good Man. Charlie Brown May 24-26 and May 30–June 2 at the Cider Mill Stage, 2 Nanticoke Ave., Endicott. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Thursday (May 30), Fridays and Saturdays and at 2:30 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are $30 (12 and under, $22) including fees. Advance tickets can be ordered on the Cider Mill Stage’s website, www.cidermillstage.com, or call 607-321-9630.
