Review: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Review: You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown, Upstairs at the Gatehouse

Summary

Rating

60

Good

An upbeat and light-hearted musical, reminding us all to embrace our nostalgic, inner child.

Most of us have grown up beside Charles M Schulz’s Peanuts cartoons, and their iconic characters are part of both our early years and our adult world. You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown at Upstairs at the Gatehouse brings these famous figures to life on stage, in a delightful production that is a playful invitation to embrace your inner child.

Clark Gesner’s 1967 musical is perhaps not the most memorable in terms of songs, but the wonderful five-piece band led by Musical Director Harry Style brings polish and energy to the score, and there are some excellent voices amongst the cast. In form, the show is less a narrative and more a series of cartoon strips itself; episodic scenes that describe events in the day of the characters, interspersed with some longer scenes and musical numbers. 

From the top, we’re reminded that “…science has shown that a person’s character isn’t really established until he’s at least five years old”. Here, we’re offered a space where adults and children can be imagined as all one thing, and it’s unsurprising that (being post-five) the mature thinking and philosophising coming from the mouths of Charlie Brown and his friends is perfectly poised to create laughter.

The characters are portrayed as appropriately oversized, cartoonish figures, with exaggerated and stereotypically childlike mannerisms. Charlie Brown’s shining optimism and dreadful self-doubt is managed effortlessly by Jordan Broatch, but he’s up against a fearsome performance from Eleanor Fransch, who commits to total, hilarious crabbiness in her portrayal of Lucy, nearly upstaging the rest of the cast. The team, including Millie Robins as sweet but cynical Sally, Jacob Cornish as thumb-sucking, philosophising Linus, and Troy Yip as Beethoven-besotted Schroeder, work well together to encapsulate the spirit of Peanuts through their distinct characterisations. They also impress in their tight choral work and some surprising tap dancing! The latter is particularly entertaining when it comes from a dog. Snoopy, played by Oliver Sidney, is wonderfully understated and wry, but goes memorably big to deliver both the Red Baron scene we are all waiting for and a glitzy suppertime celebration, which is truly joyful!

Director Amanda Noar makes excellent use of the long Upstairs space, with the audience wrapped round three walls but conscientiously played to on all sides throughout. There’s even some gentle interaction, with one or two audience members in the front row invited to participate with props. At times, the cast dynamically cover ground at speed, entering and exiting from all sides. At others, they’re focussed and working tightly together, such as in the excellent ‘team’ spelling gag.

The comic strip styling is represented through a simple aesthetic, with the graphics theme nicely complemented in the set (Ruby Boswell-Green) and costume design (Holly Louise Chapman), which have a paint and felt-tip feel to them. Putting Snoopy in tails is a masterful choice!

Jen Watson’s lighting design offers a textured range of atmospheres, from intimate to dance floor, whilst Phil Stannar’s sharp sound work gives an additional level of interest that supplements the live music and adds richness. However, at this performance the sound mix was rather too loud, which then left Lucy and her highly forthright role seeming shouty at times.

This is a show where it benefits you to know the characters in advance, but when you then see it here they are completely recognisable and performed by a multi-talented cast. It’s a great, nostalgic choice for the holiday season; a light-hearted, upbeat performance giving a joyful reminder of the innocence and perspectives of childhood. This musical is pleasantly simple, with lots to enjoy and appreciate: definitely a fun opportunity for adults to celebrate their inner child with friends and family at this festive time of year.

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Written by: Clark Gesner
Directed by: Amanda Noar
Musical Direction by: Harry Style
Set Design by: Ruby Boswell-Green
Lighting Design by: Jen Watson
Costume Design by: Holly Louise Chapman
Sound Design by: Phil Stannar
Produced by Annlouise Butt, Chromolume Productions

You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown runs until Sunday 14 January at Upstairs at the Gatehouse, details here.