Under Anthony Drewe's vibrant direction, Peanuts is unleashed in its musical form with frenetic comic pace, much to Catherine Love's delight.
Every now and then along comes a musical that assaults its audience with colour and energy and refuses to let it go. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is one such show. This delightfully silly musical rendering of Charles Schulz’s much-loved Peanuts comic strips guides the audience through the everyday ups and downs of Charlie Brown and his posse in hilarious, vibrant style.
The eponymous loner Charlie Brown, he of round face and anxious demeanour, is negotiating the pitfalls of school and friendships while trying to catch the eye of the mysterious girl with the red hair. Lewis Barnshaw, though at times struggling vocally with the score, is the suitably wide-eyed protagonist, given captivating comic support from a compact cast that includes a number of West End regulars.
Leanne Jones is the charismatically bossy if occasionally shrill Lucy, charging around the stage with little brother Linus – a scene-stealing, fantastically expressive Adam Ellis – in tow. The excellent Hayley Gallivan puts in a witty turn as Charlie’s sister Sally, fiercely protesting any unsatisfactory grades and dreaming up her ‘new philosophy’, while Nathaniel Morrison turns in another solid performance as musical prodigy Schroeder.
As the humans have their dramas, Mark Anderson’s shrewd and sardonic Snoopy looks amusedly on, hovering in the wings until he finally has the chance to whip out his jazz hands.
Schulz’s comic strip has become so ingrained in our popular culture, with images of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and co permanently etched on our collective consciousness, that bringing them to life in a recognisable form is no mean feat. Director Anthony Drewe’s production, injected with a bumper dose of colour by a simple yet ingenious design from Simon Wells, wisely preserves an essence of comic strip spirit, allowing his actors to give flesh to the characters without blurring their clearly defined lines.
Drewe's direction pops with colour and vitality, setting a furious comic pace that rarely lets up and is deftly complemented by Nick Winston’s clever, lively choreography. The busy action is sometimes a tad frenetic, but if this is a race for laughs, Drewe and his stellar cast are winning.
Audiences should not, however, expect much in the way of plot. Based on Schulz’s original creations, this is a flick through the cream of the comic strips rather than a full musical in the traditional sense. Linked together by little more than the hilariously realised line-up of characters, this could more fittingly be described as a musical sketch show. But as soon as you surrender to this fact the infectious performances carry you on wave after wave of entertainment.
Sweet and light as candyfloss, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is colourful fluff imbued with wit. There is little progression and no serious message to speak of, but with such intelligent comic direction and a cast bursting at the seams with talent, who cares?
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