You're a Good Man Charlie Brown
at Flanagan High School

Reviewed on December 4, 2010

Marcus Levine
Coral Springs High School
Submitted for publication to

Few things are more reminiscent of Sunday mornings growing up than Peanuts cartoons. The playful characters of these comic strips came to life on stage in Flanagan High School's production of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown."

"Charlie Brown", with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, is based on the famed comic strip by the late Charles M. Schulz. The show premiered Off Broadway on March 12, 1967, but did not meet with much praise from audiences or critics. A later Broadway revival in 1999 received a similar reception, but did garner two Tony awards in the Best Featured Actor/Actress categories.

One of the central features of "Charlie Brown" is the highly stylized and caricatured roles. Each of the actors in this production attempted to find a unique characteristic to exaggerate in their emotion, voice, and movement. These attempts met with varying degrees of success.

Among those who achieved appropriate commitment to their character was Ashley Hyde in the role of Lucy van Pelt. Whether she was flirting with Schroeder or yelling at Linus, Hyde found the squealing character of Lucy in many different scenarios.

Though this production does not require much dancing, choreographer and "Dancing Blanket" Wallace Cure provided a thoroughly entertained and well-executed dance solo during the number "My Blanket and Me" while wearing a giant blue Snuggie.

Although Charlie Brown is not generally considered a very technically challenging show, Flanagan's crew took on the difficulty of using personal lavaliere microphones instead of area microphones, and unfortunately these did not serve them very well. Luckily the actors were able to project somewhat to fill in for the missing sound. Lighting, sets and costumes were apropos, with cartoonish cutouts and bright colors to emphasize the elementary nature of the show.

Musical productions are never easy to pull off, but Flanagan High School put forth a laudable effort in their production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". The cast managed, despite technical difficulties, to put forth the heart-warming message of happiness that the show is meant to provide.

Ben Miller
David Posnack Hebrew Day School
Submitted for publication to

Watch one of the oldest comic strips come to life in Flanagan High School's production of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." This Tony-nominated musical is based upon the Peanuts characters of Charles Schultz. While not winning a Tony, the Broadway musical won a Drama Desk Award for the revival performance.

Lacking a central plot, the musical is a series of vignettes about the everyday troubles of Charlie Brown and his friends. These problems range from flying a kite, to playing baseball, to Charlie Brown's famous crush with the "little red-haired girl."

Schroeder was adroitly played by Marco Sanchez. Sanchez displayed the subtleties of his role, showing a clear understanding of Schroeder's quiet dignity and genius as a musical prodigy. While some performers used rapid changes in tone and quick outbursts as a crutch for acting, Sanchez appeared above this. Like Schroeder, Sanchez honed a skill that seemed lacking in some of the other performers.

Sklenni Senat was a delight to watch as Snoopy. Like a puppy, Senat was bursting with energy within his role. During the song "Suppertime," Senat dazzled the audience with his dancing abilities, producing praise from the audience.

The use of sound within the musical was complex, calling for many sound cues. While a terrific amount of effort was clearly put into refining the sound, characters were often as unintelligible as the adults within the Peanuts cartoons.

The set matched the costumes of the musical, as both were bright and colorful while having a cartoonish aesthetic. The set itself evoked the feel of a sunday morning comic strip. Props themselves were appropriately large to add to the comic strip feel of the show, but at times they were inconsistent. Some props were realistic, taking away from the atmosphere of the performance.

"You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" had its share of difficulties, but like Charlie Brown the performance admirably rolled with the punches.

Ryan Juda
University School of NSU
Submitted for publication to

He'll never be able to punt a football. He is what you'd call a "failure face". He is Charlie Brown, the adorable "block-headed" kid who's been welcomed into the homes of Americans every Sunday for decades. And now, he and his friends are found on the stage of Flanagan High School in their exemplary production of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown.

Based on the famous Sunday comic by Charles Schulz, You're a Good Man Charlie Brown follows the life of the title character, along with his Peanut pals, in their trials and tribulations of elementary life. Clark Gesner's musical opened Off Broadway in 1967, followed by a short Broadway run in 1971 and a revival in 1999. The seven-person Flanagan High School cast kept their energy up and had the audience laughing along in numbers such as "The Doctor is In" and "Suppertime".

Brian Shirley, as the lovably awkward Charlie Brown, displayed a great amount of dedication to his role through his adorably cumbersome mannerisms. Other notables, such as Ashley Hyde (Lucy Van Pelt) and Sklenni Senat (Snoopy) kept the audience in stitches of laughter with both of their over-the-top characters. The vivacious cast learned to move past the sound difficulties, compensating for the technical problems in the power and projection of their voices.

The sets constructed by Christopher Gibson and crew created a beautifully childish world fit with a visually pleasing color scheme for each character. Along with the sets, Gibson was also responsible for the appropriately oversized props, keeping with the continuity of the color scheme.

The cast of Flanagan High School reminded us that through all the chaos of elementary life, happiness "is anyone and anything at all, loved by you."

Chelsea Dexter
South Plantation High School
Submitted for publication to

Through nostalgia, laughter and just a pinch of "happiness," Flanagan High School's You're A Good Man Charlie Brown took audience members on a trip down memory lane, where Sunday mornings meant comics, and comics meant Peanuts.

You're A Good Man Charlie Brown opened Off Broadway on March 12, 1967 and eventually made its way to Broadway in 1971. On Broadway, the show lasted for only a month, which prompted changes for the 1999 revival, including the replacement of the character Patty with Sally Brown, a character designed specifically for Kristen Chenoweth. The revival won two Tony awards: one for Best Featured Actor for the part of Snoopy played by Roger Bart and Best Featured Actress for the role of Sally Brown played by Kristen Chenoweth.

As the curtain rose, the audience was introduced to five children, each with a personal style that stayed true to the original comic strips. The sets, designed by Christopher Gibson, held onto the essence of the cartoon by being simplistic and childlike. Five areas of the set were designed to match the actors costumes, which not only gave each them distinct areas of the stage they could call their own, but it also gave the sets the classic cartoonish element of the show. Unfortunately, other elements of the tech were distracting and completely detracted from the show.

The actress that got the golden star for character was Ashley Hyde as Lucy Van Pelt. Hyde's character was phenomenal, as the actress fully embodied the bossy and outrageously obnoxious Lucy, which forced the audience to laugh every time she was on stage. There were many moments during the show where Hyde even sounded much like the character of Lucy on the Charlie Brown television specials. Needless to say, Ashley Hyde should be commended for her work as an actress.

Another prime example of an actor who captured the essence of this show was Sklenni Senat as Snoopy. Senat stole giggles from the audience even when his character was not speaking, and when he did speak, the giggles evolved into complete laughter as the audience was overwhelmed with hilarity. In his solo, "Suppertime," Senat earned an array of laughter from the audience. His outrageous dance break combined with a perfect personification of a beagle allowed the audience to take a dance filled journey through the mind of a dog at dinnertime.

The final song, "Happiness," allowed each cast member to truly shine through harmonic vocal work and innocent characterization. This song gave the audience a reason to take a trip down memory lane and reminisce about what made them happy as a child.

Childhood is a time many adults remember with nostalgia, and Flanagan High School's You're A Good Man Charlie Brown did an extraordinary job at bringing audience members back to their elementary years, when even finding a pencil could bring them happiness.

Carly Goldberg
David Posnack Hebrew Day School
Submitted for publication to

Lunch time may be one of the worst times of day for Charlie Brown, but Flanagan High school's performance of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" was anything but.

With lyrics and music written by Clark Gesner, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" is a musical production with characters inspired by Charles M Schultz's cartoon strip "Peanuts." In a series of vignettes, six year old Charlie Brown goes through a typical day in his young life, consisting of kite flying, baseball, and spending time with his dog, Snoopy. While his self-esteem is quite low, his memorable moments with each of his animated friends help him understand the true meaning of happiness.

With a cast of only seven actors, Flanagan High school's performance was filled with energy and raw talent. Together, the characters conveyed the comic strip accordingly, meeting the comedic demands of each of their roles.

Brian Shirley portrayed the diffident, awkward role of Charlie Brown flawlessly. From his appropriate facial expressions, fitting posture, and impressive vocal ability, Shirley's radiance lit up the stage without losing the timid, charming aspects of his character. As Lucy Van Pelt, Ashley Hyde mastered the loud, overdramatic role with natural confidence. Through her many piercing screams and consistent vocal tone throughout her show, Hyde's commitment to her part was remarkable.

Between swaggering dance moves, bold dispositions, and outstanding vocals, Sklenni Senat as Snoopy provided much of the comic relief throughout the performance. Senat's solo song "Suppertime" epitomized each of his bodacious mannerisms that he had defined from the beginning. Another musical highlight was undoubtedly "Beethoven Day," for Marco Sanchez's (Shroeder) vocal performance was powerful; his momentum maintained through many sound glitches that interrupted the production.

The simple, puerile set pieces illustrated the show; the bright colors on the set matched the costumes of each character, creating a cartoon-like atmosphere. Christopher Gibson's gathering of oversized and amusing props, such as bulky pencils and lunch bags, was a creative and well-suited addition to the performance.

Overall, Flanagan High school's presentation of You're a Good Man Charlie Brown was ultimately a great success, giving happiness an entirely new definition: That's a good philosophy!