The entire "Peanuts" gang is coming to town in a live action musical for the entire family.
The Van Pelt siblings, Schroeder, Sally and Charlie Brown and, of course, Snoopy, star in the Mid-Ohio Valley Players production of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," beginning Friday.
Longtime MOVP member and director Jena Blair said audiences will love the show, based on beloved comic strip characters created by Charles M. Schultz.
Article Photos
Photo submitted by Bob Parsons
The cast of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” rehearses a scene from the upcoming MOVP production. From left, Meaghan Hahn is Sally, Pete Sour is Schroeder, Jason Bennett is Charlie Brown, R.J. Lowe is Snoopy, JR Wells is Linus and Dezere Harper is Lucy.
"This has been a wonderful cast to work with...I am so pleased with the show," she said.
The cast includes Jason Bennett as Charlie Brown; Meaghan Hahn as his sister, Sally; JR Wells as Linus Van Pelt; Dezere Harper as Lucy Van Pelt; Pete Sour as the piano playing Schroeder; and R.J. Lowe as Charlie Brown's beagle, Snoopy.
"When I went to audition, I wanted to play Charlie Brown but I realized Snoopy has the showier role," said Lowe, a Vienna resident appearing in his sixth MOVP production.
Fact Box
If you go
What: "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown."
Where: Mid-Ohio Valley Players Theatre, 229 Putnam St., Marietta.
When: March 15-16, 22-23 and 29-30 at 8 p.m.; March 17 at 3 p.m.
Tickets: Adults, $13; senior/student, $11; youth, $8. Tickets are available at midohiovalleyplayers.org, Marty's Print Shop, 307 Third St. and the Convention and Visitors Bureau in Putnam Commons.
There is no real person playing Woodstock, Snoopy's yellow-feathered sidekick, but he will be represented in inanimate form.
"This show is for little kids through 112," said Lowe.
The Tony-award winning musical, originally performed in 1967, focuses on the idiosyncrasies of the characters and the way they relate to one another. A press release for the production describes Lucy as being "infatuated with Schroeder" and "taking great pleasure" in the torment of Charlie Brown. Fans of the strip and television cartoons might remember Charlie Brown pining for "the little red-haired girl" and Snoopy imagining himself in all sorts of scenarios.
Under the musical direction of Beth Sour, the cast performs the songs "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown," "My Blanket and Me," and "The Kite" among others.
MOVP veteran and music instructor Meaghan Hahn, of Marietta, plays Sally and says that the opportunity to bring the character to life has been a good experience.
"I have always loved the Peanuts gang," she said. "Working with this cast has been so fun, both on and off stage. We definitely have the dynamic needed to create a show like this."
The show will be performed March 15, 16, 22, 23, 29 and 30 at 8 p.m. and a matinee Sunday, March 17 at 3 p.m. Tickets are $13 for adults, $11 for seniors and students and $8 for youth and can be purchased at midohiovalleyplayers.org, at Marty's Print Shop, 307 Third St., and the Marietta-Washington County Convention and Visitors Bureau in Putnam Commons, 121 Putnam St.
