2008 Woodie Awards
'Charlie Brown' musical makes 'very good' run
DUNCAN McGREGOR
Issue date: 2/15/08 Section: A&E
From Charlie Brown's various moments of hideous embarrassment to his general failure at everything, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" is a charming portrayal of the Charles Shultz's classic comic "Peanuts."
Opening Feb. 1, Pacific University hosted its third musical production, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."
The show ran for two weeks and closed on Saturday, Feb. 9.
If you missed the play, it starred a small cast of six Pacific students-Justin Wilson as Charlie Brown, Corey Christiansen as Snoopy, Haley Fritz as Sally Brown, Shannon McIntyre as Lucy, James Owen as Schroeder, and Aaron Eberhardt as Linus. The play was directed by Angela Niederloh, voice instructor at Pacific University.
The small cast gave every performer plenty of spotlight time and a chance for solos. Christiansen's favorite scene was Supper Time, which let him "cut loose a little and really enjoy the role."
The small cast was also something of a challenge, "because it was a six person cast, it was harder to get the music," commented Eberhardt.
It was a "Very good" run, according to Niederloh, because there was "a lot of enthusiasm from the cast." Auditions were held in November and the cast had their music distributed in December. They began rehearsals in the beginning of January.
The cast's aptness for the music gave them a chance to dive deeper into characterization.
"Take Charlie Brown, who is a bit of a wet blanket, how do you find more emotion levels?" asked Niederloh. "I identify with Charlie Brown. I myself am quite shy," explained Wilson.
Fritz "enjoyed the fact that we were able to develop our characters freely." Fritz watched "a lot of Charlie Brown" to get Sally down.
Half the cast were freshmen and "it posed unique challenges as some people are not as seasoned as their older colleagues" said Niederloh.
"Their previous experience" helped them work through it. "There were stage savvy people." McIntyre reveled in the "new experience," the "opportunity to be in a musical."
It was a challenge. They worked through it. According to Owen "it all came together" and "the chemistry just started to work."
Turn out for the play was less than was expected, but the closing night "was much better," said Wilson.
Wilson did not appear too surprised about the relatively low attendance.
"You cannot particularly expect that in a play geared towards children or lifelong peanuts fans."
According to Niederloh, musicals are important because "music is part of our formative years. We all connect to music on a real visceral level. Music communicates feelings. Particularly at Pacific, an academically driven school, its nice to bring this out."
Opening Feb. 1, Pacific University hosted its third musical production, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."
The show ran for two weeks and closed on Saturday, Feb. 9.
If you missed the play, it starred a small cast of six Pacific students-Justin Wilson as Charlie Brown, Corey Christiansen as Snoopy, Haley Fritz as Sally Brown, Shannon McIntyre as Lucy, James Owen as Schroeder, and Aaron Eberhardt as Linus. The play was directed by Angela Niederloh, voice instructor at Pacific University.
The small cast gave every performer plenty of spotlight time and a chance for solos. Christiansen's favorite scene was Supper Time, which let him "cut loose a little and really enjoy the role."
The small cast was also something of a challenge, "because it was a six person cast, it was harder to get the music," commented Eberhardt.
It was a "Very good" run, according to Niederloh, because there was "a lot of enthusiasm from the cast." Auditions were held in November and the cast had their music distributed in December. They began rehearsals in the beginning of January.
The cast's aptness for the music gave them a chance to dive deeper into characterization.
"Take Charlie Brown, who is a bit of a wet blanket, how do you find more emotion levels?" asked Niederloh. "I identify with Charlie Brown. I myself am quite shy," explained Wilson.
Fritz "enjoyed the fact that we were able to develop our characters freely." Fritz watched "a lot of Charlie Brown" to get Sally down.
Half the cast were freshmen and "it posed unique challenges as some people are not as seasoned as their older colleagues" said Niederloh.
"Their previous experience" helped them work through it. "There were stage savvy people." McIntyre reveled in the "new experience," the "opportunity to be in a musical."
It was a challenge. They worked through it. According to Owen "it all came together" and "the chemistry just started to work."
Turn out for the play was less than was expected, but the closing night "was much better," said Wilson.
Wilson did not appear too surprised about the relatively low attendance.
"You cannot particularly expect that in a play geared towards children or lifelong peanuts fans."
According to Niederloh, musicals are important because "music is part of our formative years. We all connect to music on a real visceral level. Music communicates feelings. Particularly at Pacific, an academically driven school, its nice to bring this out."
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