Theater Review - Good grief

For the better part of a century, “Peanuts” creator Charles Schulz was the straight-faced humorist of the comics page, the Garrison Keillor or James Thurber of the newspaper cartoon strip. “Sparky” Schulz rarely went for cheap belly laughs, but instead crafted lines that you’d read in the morning and have them stay with you for the rest of the day, and possibly the rest of your life. Like the time when Charlie Brown’s sister, Sally, explains that she stopped jumping rope because “it suddenly seemed so futile.”

Beginning with “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” most of the animated versions of “Peanuts” retained the strip’s thoughtful, deadpan charm. The Vince Guaraldi piano music and the voice performances on “Christmas” may be the quintessential treatment of the “Peanuts” gang, and you should caution yourself that Clark Gesner’s stage musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is not the same thing. The expectations of live theater don’t always mesh with Schulz’s dry one-liners, which seldom end on punchy “stingers.”

Charlie Brown is a staple of grade-school drama departments, but it’s easy to see why Theatre in the Square was drawn to it. The successful, revised version of the Broadway musical (with additional dialogue by Michael Mayer and music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa) makes a timely tribute to Schulz, who died in February 2000. And many of T-Square’s regular players have personalities and pizzazz that perfectly suit the timeless “Peanuts” characters.

The casting of Theatre in the Square’s Charlie Brown, directed by Sonny Goff, doesn’t disappoint. Wearing the traditional yellow shirt with black zigzag pattern and a haircut that makes him appropriately “roundheaded,” Jeff McKerley gives Charlie Brown the ideal mixture of put-upon fatalism and pluck-yourself-up determination. Plus, as the show’s choreographer, he gives the ensemble steps pleasingly reminiscent of those strange, slack-necked dance moves from the animated specials.

As Sally, Wendy Melkonian’s childlike vocal inflections are nicely consistent with the character’s cartoon voice. Rebekah Baty makes Lucy the epitome of crabby disdain, while Mike Masters looks eerily like a three-dimensional Linus, the blanket-toting guru of the group. Alan Kilpatrick gives pianist Schroeder a manic intensity that seems a little too grown-up, but he infuses the upbeat “Beethoven Day” song with the soul to make it one of the evening’s highlights. And everyone knows how to cry “AUGH!” in the right way. (“Peanuts” fans should note that the play does not include Peppermint Patty, Marcie, Woodstock or a pulling-away-the-football scene.)

Christopher Ryan brings dynamic energy to the role of Snoopy, striking heroic poses in his dogfight with the Red Baron and giving the song “Suppertime” plenty of Broadway showmanship. He even sneaks in some of the signature comic gestures of Mike Meyers and Jim Carrey, just as the “Chasing Rabbits” number evokes the themes of “Hawaii Five-O” and “Mission Impossible.” But though the pop references give the show a contemporary edge, they seem out of place, and it’s strange seeing Snoopy talk.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown has no plot, but segues from one episode to the next, rather like a collection of the comic strips. Things like kite-flying, baseball games and writing book reports on Peter Rabbit don’t necessarily make gripping subjects for songs. As much as you can appreciate Masters’ willingness to do a soft shoe with his security blanket, the number itself seems a bit labored.

Melkonian gets the evening’s biggest showstopper with Sally’s “My New Philosophy,” summed up in contrary catch-phrases like “That’s what you think!” The show’s best-known song is probably “Happiness” (defined as two scoops of ice cream, five kinds of crayons, telling the time, etc.) and though it’s definitely gooey, it lets the show end on a note of wonder that’s hard to resist.

Baty brings an effective comic tension to the scenes centered around Lucy, as when she imagines herself as “head queen” or surveys the others for their feelings about her. Still, though one hates to be a fussbudget, it’s a shame that Goff and his cast can’t find bigger laughs in the material, but Schulz’ dry understatement tends to resist guffaws. Linus’ remark about his grandfather turning 63 (“It’s hard to believe he was once a human being”) is an exception.

Droll but not hilarious, with tunes that are sweet but not substantial, Theatre in the Square’s You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown affirms that the stage simply isn’t the home turf for Schulz’s beloved creations. Nevertheless, the cast looks and performs as though they’ve stepped right out of the funny papers.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown plays through June 17 at Theatre in the Square, 11 Whitlock Ave., Marietta, with performances at 8 p.m. Tues.-Sat. and 2:30 and 7 p.m. Sun. $20-25. 770-422-8369.??