26/11/2023
Review: You’re Good Man Charlie Brown
I went along to see a sneak preview of ‘You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown’ currently being rehearsed by the Mackay Musical Comedy Players and I have to tell you- they had a hard sell with me today, ha ha. Not only have I never seen the show before, but I’ve never been a Peanuts fan either, as the televised antics of Snoopy and his pals had fallen out of popularity by the time I was old enough to pay attention. Also, I’ve seen ‘excepts’ of this show multiple times over the years now at more Eisteddfod and dance concerts than I can count and I don’t know about you, but repeat viewings of the same couple of moments (usually the ‘best’ ones) out of the same show being displayed by little kids year in, year out can either make you excited to see the full musical, or put you off it for life. Works well as click-bait for Book of Morman, but thanks to Matilda’s popularity in the Eisteddfod circuit, I’ll die happy if I’m never forced to sit through the whole thing.
Also, I’ve been fortunate enough to be railroaded into seeing or being in multiple performances this week- most of which have taken place in the last three days- so to say the last thing I wanted was to sit still anywhere that wasn’t on the comfort of my couch with my bra off and curtains drawn would be an understatement because I kid you not- I had been in a theatre for seventeen hours in three sittings in the last 24 hours alone BEFORE I showed up to watch YAGMCB this afternoon. Has it been entertaining? Of course! But am I showing symptoms of an overdose seeing as how I had to get myself or my three children ready for all the other ones? Yep. I could have very easily pulled over for a nap on the way there.
HOWEVER, ticket sales have been stretched thin in this town this year with how much our bustling little theatre city now has going on, so I swore to myself a few months ago that I’d get to and review whatever I could in the interest of helping out and encourage every one of you to do the same thing where applicable, especially when it comes to the Comedy Players, who work so hard to bring us three, top-tier production shows- sometimes four- every year. And because this is such a hectic time of year, I asked permission in advance to come see YAGMCB before they’d made it to the theatre, which means the production I saw and will be reviewing today was without costumes, lighting, amplification or sets, staged in their rehearsal space.
That’s not something you’re going to have to keep in mind, however, because I’m pleased to announce that the production of ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’ was a nearly flawless one that was not lacking in any way thanks to the under-dressed circumstances. George Rogers, Sarah Rozenkrans and Ebony Walker have pulled together a tight, entertaining and heartfelt production of an incredibly compelling show that I am very pleased that I went to see as it made me laugh out loud and even tear up once or twice.
The production is eclectic and has a very unusual format in the sense that it’s presented not like a running narrative, but like a selection of comic strips that ring very true to the original Snoopy ones, which I used to read in the Sunday Mail. I really enjoyed this set-up, because it kept any one scene from feeling long, drawn-out or superfluous… and isn’t that why we love comics to begin with? Because they can tell a whole story with just a moment or two?
Because it’s a story about a group of kids, everything about it seems very simplistic on the surface and so you would expect it to be a series of quilted-together and outdated cliché’s… and yet the dialogue was surprisingly well-written and even strayed into the more poetic purple prose territory in areas, which I appreciate because I’m a wordy writer who has to deal with a lot of dialogue year-in, year-out and very much appreciate it when other writers shake things up by denying their characters exposition.
That’s all to the credit of the original writer, of course, but the cast of YAGMCB took the great writing and ran with it by giving us fantastic characterisations that were all very unique and perfectly delivered. This is my first time ever having seen Conall Crowley or Cohen Goodson in leading roles, and I have to say that Conall’s neurotic depiction of Charlie Brown was outstanding to the point where it made me feel uncomfortable for the poor guy, and Cohen had Linus’s trademark speech impediment and extreme vulnerability nailed. I know that this is a bucket list role for Molly Gibbins so she knocked it out of the park accordingly- exactly like someone who’s been waiting a very long time for this moment- and though we all know I’m a bit biased towards my most-recent leading man, Josiah Hubba, I can say without bias that I could not take my eyes off him every time he was on stage. I knew the least about his character, Schroeder, going into this, so I’m not sure if he nailed it or made this a flushed-out character of his own, but it was an incredible characterisation that proved what a natural he is. And Dallis McLean as Snoopy… wow! I was not expecting that! I should have, because I know how good she is after having watched her up close as Wednesday Addams earlier this year, but she made a very iconic character her own and I loved her dedication to every one of her scenes. Because this wasn’t the actual set, Dallis had to perform most of her stuff while bounding from one end of the stage to the other or while perched on a box that was a touch too small for her, and yet she made it all seem so effortless- even while singing a solo while reclined on her back, hanging off the edge of a drama box and in a sit-up position. And now that I’ve seen her do it that well like that, I can only imagine how incredible it’s going to look when she’s in costume on set.
What I wasn’t surprised by, was Chanelle Redgwell’s portrayal of Lucy, because Chanelle’s one of those actresses that peaked at thirteen and then STAYED peaked, lol. There’s no off switch for this girl or bad days- especially when it comes to portraying larger-than-life characters. Yes, I loved the whole cast but Chanelle stole the bloody show for me, and I’d go see this again just to hear her, Josiah and Molly sing all their stuff again; not just their solos, but every individual note they got to sing because they were all pitch perfect and a pleasure to listen to. Chanelle got some seriously high notes- which she belted with ease- but it wasn’t just the showy stuff that I loved, but all the little inflections, harmonies and canons too. In fact, the majority of the show was so tight vocally that I probably would have guessed that it was Sarah Rozenkrans behind it all as musical director, because she has an exquisite eye (ear?) for detail. And again, though this is a credit to the original composer, I especially loved the musical Beethoven in-jokes in Josiah’s song, Molly’s rendition of ‘That’s My Philosophy’ and the ‘Home on the Range’ glee club bits best. I actually remember hearing just one tiny note in Molly’s solo, and thinking ‘WOW!’ It wasn’t a huge moment, but it was unexpected and an absolute delight to hear. And how often can you say that about one tiny note that’s not even written to be part of a bigger moment?
This is the second show that Ebony Walker that has been given this year that isn’t supposed to be a very choreographed production, and yet Ebony’s adorable trademark flair was sprinkled through from start to finish and elevated it more than you’d probably see in anyone else’s production of this. I guess it’s because she’s got a very animation-friendly style of dancing that immediately always makes me think Disney, which translates very well into a show that’s based on a cute-sy animated series. I don’t know- she’s very much about perky moves, perfect symmetry and interesting formations, so every time I watch anything she’s choreographed, I always find myself itching to join in and I can imagine everyone else who goes to see this feeling the same way. Ebony also has an eye for detail too- she won’t rest until something’s perfect and because Sarah and George are the same, everything just folds together beautifully to make this one production like I said earlier- practically flawless.
Now, were there some rough spots? Sure. Probably five or six. But I’m not even going to mention them here, because every time it occurred to me today that something might have looked, sounded or be staged better- I glanced to my left and saw that George’s eagle-eye had spotted it too, and was already calling out a direction to correct it or telling someone else that that was something they’d fix later, so I have no doubt that by the time that this production hits the theatre at the Con this weekend, it actually will be flawless. Also, I got a sneak peak of the projected sets that Hayley Sumpter has designed that they’re going to be using, and they’re going to look amazing! Especially the animated bits, because the stage direction to go with them looked effective all by itself, even without them. In fact, I almost fell off my chair laughing when Snoopy started chasing the bus!
So the upshot of my review is: Go see You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown- and take your children. Not just because it’s a terrific production, but because this year, what’s trending for Christmas is Nostalgia. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but right now, all the shops are filled with ornaments that are throwbacks to the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s, where everything was made of tinsel, ceramics and foil, and back then, Christmas just had this smell to it that my kids have never known. Well, this production is very much like that- it’s a throwback to a simpler time, when kids played in streets on bikes and with kites (how relatable is that kite song, by the way?!) and learned everything from one another instead of from a screen. The kids are gonna love it because of the simplicity and relatability of everything- especially when it comes to childhood anxiety- and the adults are gonna love it because of all the layers used in the storytelling and the sheer skill of the performers combined with how fast-paced it all seems. Besides, if I could squeeze in another show when I’m this busy and be grateful that I did- no one else has an excuse not to! He he!
Well done Mackay Musical Comedy Players, and George Rogers in your directorial debut! I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a sold-out house.
Tickets for ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ are now on sale!
December 1st,2nd,3rd Mackay Conservatorium of Music.
: https://www.trybooking.com/CLXFX
