You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a musical comedy with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip Peanuts. Ten of Gesner's songs were first recorded as a concept album for MGM Records, on which Orson Bean played Charlie Brown, Barbara Minkus was Lucy, Clark Gesner was Linus and Bill Hinnant played Snoopy.

Production history

On March 12 1967, the stage adaptation of the concept album premiered Off-Broadway, featuring Gary Burghoff as Charlie Brown, Bob Balaban as Linus and Bill Hinnant again playing Snoopy. Joseph Hardy directed and choreographer Patricia Birch was billed as Assistant to the Director. John Gordon was credited with the book of the show, but according to Gesner's foreword in the published script, John Gordon is a "collective pseudonym" that covers Gesner, the cast members and the production staff, all of whom worked together to assemble the script. The off-Broadway production was a big hit, running for 1,597 performances.

In 1971, a Broadway production featuring an entirely new cast opened at the John Golden Theatre, but closed a month later after only 15 previews and 32 regular performances.

In 1973, the show was adapted for television in a Hallmark Hall of Fame special on NBC.

In 1982, a sequel, Snoopy!!! The Musical, opened off-Broadway and ran for 152 performances. Cast members included Lorna Luft as Peppermint Patty.

In 1985, CBS aired a prime-time animated TV special based on the musical, also called You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. This version was the first animated depiction of Snoopy with comprehensible dialogue.

In 1999, the musical was revived again on Broadway. It featured new dialogue by Michael Mayer and additional songs and orchestration written by Andrew Lippa. In this revival, the character of Patty (an early Peanuts character not to be confused with Peppermint Patty) was replaced with Sally Brown. The revival won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Revival of a Musical and received four Tony Award nominations, winning two (Best Featured Actor and Best Featured Actress for Roger Bart as Snoopy and Kristin Chenoweth as Sally, respectively). The revival featured Anthony Rapp as Charlie Brown, who was previously known for originating the role of Mark in Rent. The production closed just one week after the Tony broadcast, having played only 14 previews and 149 performances.

Synopsis (1999 version)

Act I

Charlie Brown stands alone as his friends give their various opinions of him, each overlapping the other. Today everyone is calling him a "good man". Charlie Brown is happy and hopeful as usual, but he nevertheless wonders if he really is what they say. He decides to find out how he can really become a good person ("Opening/You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown").

Alone one day, during lunch, Charlie Brown talks about his bad days. Then he notices the Little Red-Haired Girl and decides to go sit with her. However, he cannot come with the courage to.

Lucy expresses her deep infatuation with Schroeder and asks him what he thinks of the idea of marriage. Schroeder is aware of her feelings, but remains aloof as he plays his piano. Lucy then exclaims: "My Aunt Marion was right. Never try to discuss marriage with a musician" ("Schroeder"). Sally is sad because her jump rope tangled up.

Snoopy is lying on top of his doghouse, relaxing vacantly and peacefully. He begins to daydream about being a wild jungle beast. In a few minutes, however, he is back to his peaceful state ("Snoopy"). Linus enters, holding his blanket and sucking his thumb. Lucy and Sally show up and mock him for this habit. Linus decides to abandon his blanket and move on, only to come running back to it in desperation. After the girls leave, Linus daydreams of a blanket fantasy where everyone can relax with their blankets ("My Blanket and Me"). Lucy later tells him that she would someday like to be a queen. However, Linus tells her that she can't and she threatens to punch him. Sally gets a C in her pathetic coat-hanger sculpture.

Charlie Brown appears, trying to get his unusually stubborn kite to soar in the air. Eventually, he succeeds in doing this, and he enjoys a few minutes of triumph before the notorious Kite-Eating Tree eats it up ("The Kite"). After this trauma, Charlie Brown tries to find the right way to give Lucy her Valentine's Day card, but he ends up saying "Merry Christmas", making a fool out of himself. He goes to see Lucy, who is at her psychiatrist booth. He tells her all the things he thinks of himself. Lucy then clears it up by saying that Charlie Brown is unique the way he is, then asks for the five cent price ("The Doctor Is In"). Later, Charlie Brown sees a happy Schroeder spreading the word of Beethoven's birthday and pulling together a celebration. He and company join Schroeder in the song of jubilation ("Beethoven Day").

At noon, Linus, Lucy, Schroeder, and Charlie Brown are working on their Peter Rabbit book reports, each in his or her own way. Lucy is simply babbling to fit the 100-word requirement, Schroeder is doing a "comparison" between the book and Robin Hood, Linus is doing an overcomplicated psychological analysis, and Charlie Brown hasn't even started out of worry, while Sally and Snoopy chase rabbits ("The Book Report").

Act II

Snoopy, in his World War I flying ace uniform climbs atop his doghouse. He goes through a scene, with him being a pilot searching for the Red Baron. In his imagination, he is defeated by the Red Baron and returns to the airdrome in France.

Sally is clearly cross about a D her teacher gave her on her homework assignment. In response, she says, "Oh, yeah? That's what you think!" Schroeder hears and asks why Sally is telling him that. It quickly becomes Sally's new "philosophy", and she bursts into song about her philosophies. Schroeder, after failing to explain to her how philosophies work, leaves in bafflement while Sally continues ("My New Philosophy").

Charlie Brown returns, and, with his friends, plays the Little League Baseball Championship. After some mishaps, the team finally manages to make some progress. Charlie Brown steps up to the plate, and despite his valiant efforts, strikes out and loses the game. We learn that this was a flashback, and Charlie Brown expresses his deep sorrow to his pen pal ("T-E-A-M (The Baseball Game)"). Lucy takes a crabbiness survey and Linus says that her crabbiness rating is ninety-five. After punching him, she realizes that she is an extreme crab.

Determined not to let what happened at the championship bother him, Charlie Brown decides to join Schroeder's Glee Club and cheer up by singing "Home on the Range" with his friends. Unfortunately, a fight ensues between Lucy and Linus over a pencil. The fight spreads, and Charlie Brown decides to leave with his angry friends, leaving Schroeder and Snoopy the only ones singing ("Glee Club Rehearsal").

Later, Charlie Brown comes across Lucy teaching Linus about nature the way she views it with such as bugs making the grass grow or eating eagles for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Charlie Brown tries to correct her, but she retaliates with a false explanation, and Charlie Brown bangs his head against a tree in frustration ("Little Known Facts"). That evening, Snoopy complains that he hasn't been fed yet, and begins to overcomplicate and dramaticize the matter until Charlie Brown shows up with his dinner. Snoopy bursts into song about his craving for supper until his master firmly tells him to eat his meal ("Suppertime").

That night, Charlie Brown is sad that he still has not discovered what it means to be a "good man". He proudly displays a pencil which had been dropped by the Little Red-Haired Girl (his perennial crush). As he examines it, he discovers that "there are teeth-marks all over it . . . she nibbles her pencil . . . she's HUMAN!" With that realization, he concludes that today hasn't been so bad, after all, and he's done a lot of things that make him happy. As Charlie Brown expresses what makes him happy, everyone, touched by his love of life, begin to express what makes them happy as well ("Happiness"). Right then, Charlie Brown realizes that being a "good man" means trying your best and making the most of the things you've been given in life. As his friends leave the stage, Lucy walks over and puts out her hand, making him shrink back. As he reaches out, she shakes his hand firmly, then tells him, "You're a good man, Charlie Brown."

Songs

Songs created for the 1999 Broadway revival are denoted with 'revival.

Act I

• Opening/You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown – Company (adapted for revival)
• Schroeder – Lucy (sung over Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata")
• Snoopy – Snoopy (with optional background voices by Lucy and Sally)
• My Blanket and Me – Linus with Company (the revival version contains a portion of "Linus and Lucy," the theme song for the Peanuts series written by pianist Vince Guaraldi)
• The Kite – Charlie Brown (optional company background)
• The Doctor is In – Lucy and Charlie Brown
• Beethoven Day – Schroeder with Company (revival)
• The Book Report – Company (adapted for revival as a quintette, this version also contains musical references, including William Tell Overture and In the Hall of the Mountain King)

Act II

• Red Baron – Snoopy (dialogue spoken over music; optional company background)
• My New Philosophy – Sally and Schroeder (revival)
• T-E-A-M (The Baseball Game) – Charlie Brown with Company
• Glee Club Rehearsal – Company (sung over "Home on the Range")
• Little Known Facts – Lucy with Linus and Charlie Brown (last measures adapted for revival)
• Suppertime – Snoopy
• Happiness – Company
• Bows – Company (includes a partial reprise of "Happiness," and "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown") (adapted for revival)

Characters and casts

Character	Voice Range	Original Off-Broadway	Revival 1999 Broadway
Charlie Brown	baritone	Gary Burghoff	Anthony Rapp
Lucy van Pelt	mezzo-soprano	Reva Rose	Ilana Levine
Schroeder	tenor	Skip Hinnant	Stanley Wayne Mathis
Linus van Pelt	baritone	Bob Balaban	B. D. Wong
Patty	soprano	Karen Johnson
Snoopy	tenor	Bill Hinnant	Roger Bart
Sally Brown	soprano		Kristin Chenoweth

Note: Sally was added to the show in the 1999 revival, replacing Patty from the original version

Articles about the 1999 revision while it was in previews noted that the one difference between the original production and the 1999 version was that the latter reflected the increased ethnic diversity of casting over the decades that had passed, with Schroeder being played by an African American actor (Mathis) and Linus by an Asian American (Wong).

See also

• Snoopy!!! The Musical

References

1. IBDB listing for 1971 production
2. IMDB 1973 television production
3. 1985 animated adaptation at [Internet Movie Database
4. IBDB listing for 1999 production
5. Voice parts given are based on vocal ranges indicated in the revival vocal score.
6. Frank Rizzo. "'Rent' Original To Star In New 'Charlie Brown'" ("On Stage" column), The Hartford Courant, October 4, 1998, Arts section, page G4.
7. Alex Beam. "It's The Great White Way, Charlie Brown" ("TGIF" column), Boston Globe, October 9, 1998, Living section, page D1.
8. Chris Jones. "Good grief: For a way-Off Broadway preview, why not Skokie?" (Theater column), Chicago Tribune, November 22, 1998, Arts & Entertainment section, page 6.

External links

• Tams-Witmark plot synopsis and production information