Students at Whiteland Community High School rehearse Monday for their production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” which begins Thursday.
ANDY BELL-BALTACI | DAILY NEWSPAPER
The Whiteland Community High School cast hope their performance is worth more than peanuts when they perform “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” this weekend.
The spring production, which runs Thursday through Sunday, is the first musical the school has put on in four years, meaning all of the actors on stage are taking part in their first high school musical. Director Tara Sorg relaunched the theater program in the fall with “12 Angry Jurors,” a drama. With the spring show, she wanted to give the audience something lighter, Sorg said.
“This is the first year that the theater program is a thing again and we want to keep the cast small, the show simple and to keep it family friendly. We want people to care about what we do,” she said. “It’s not super plot-driven. It’s a bunch of vignettes, short stop-motion scenes from comic books. Musical numbers expand the concept of comics. The script calls it “a day in the life of Charlie Brown”.
These vignettes include Charlie Brown at a baseball game, at school, at lunch, and on Valentine’s Day, among other scenes. About 25 students auditioned for the play, but Sorg had to narrow it down to a cast of just 10.
“I knew I needed kids who could play something young. I was looking for singing abilities and it’s a kid-oriented show, so I needed guys with a good upper range. This n t’s not a serious play, I don’t need Charlie to be more serious than he already is. It’s hard work. Charlie and Lucy were my hardest workers in ’12 Angry Jurors.’ They have proven their hard work and dedication.
Senior Eli Parr plays Charlie Brown, following his role as Juror No. 7 on “12 Angry Men” in the fall.
“I didn’t think I would try because it was a musical. I never really sang before, but I did it just to see. I wasn’t going to expect to do a role, but I started listening to the (soundtrack). I never tried to sing, just like I never tried to act. I gave 110% on the audition and got the lead,” Parr said. “In the ‘Charlie Brown’ comics and TV shows, he’s extremely depressed and monotonous. I realized you couldn’t do that on stage. It’s not as funny as seeing an animated character do it. I have to energize a bit, there are a lot of hand gestures and emotions behind it.
Parr keeps essential elements of the Charlie Brown persona intact, such as a lack of confidence and slow speech, he said.
Anna Muir, also a senior, will play Marcie, Peppermint Patty’s best friend.
“I wanted to do a musical with the school my whole high school career,” Muir said. “I grew up watching ‘Peanuts’ and reading the comics, and it’s kind of like a bit of my childhood, playing the characters that I grew up watching and reading. It’s good for It’s good for adults to see their own childhoods and good for kids to create a new generation of people who love these characters.
Isabelle Wilson will end her high school career playing Snoopy.
“I’ve always been into theater in a way, it intrigued me, but I haven’t been very involved in theater since middle school. It’s fun to get involved again as a senior,” Wilson said. “There’s definitely a bit of comic relief with our baseball game and Snoopy is still considered not really speaking, but here I actually have parts that interact with other characters.”
People with a longing for nostalgia will enjoy the production, said Garrett Godsey, the play’s musical director, which focuses on vocals, while band manager Pete Sampson conducts the pit orchestra.
“The play, it’s lovely,” Godsey said. “It’s nostalgic in many ways. The small cast in the room makes it feel lighthearted and lots of good positive energy emanates from the stage.