The public is invited to come join in the fun as Parsons High School presents this year’s fall musical “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown (Revised)” Saturday at 7 p.m., Sunday at 2 p.m., Monday at 7 p.m. at the Parsons Municipal Auditorium, 112 S. 17.
Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and can be purchased at the door.
The change in the original dates, that included Friday Nov. 10, came about because of the likelihood the PHS football team would continue in playoffs and three cast and crew members and are on the football team.
“We couldn’t take a chance on having a show and hoping that we don’t win,” artistic and musical director John Womeldorff said with a chuckle.
This is a great show for all ages.
The play is based on the comic strip Peanuts by Charles M. Schulz. The book, music and lyrics are by Clark Gesner. Additional dialogue is by Michael Mayer and additional music and lyrics are by Andrew Lippa.
The audience gets a glimpse into the world of Charlie Brown and the entire Peanuts gang as they explore life’s great questions while they play baseball, struggle with homework, sing songs, swoon over crushes and celebrate the joy of friendship.
“The show is kind of a collection of what you might call vignettes,” Womeldorff said. “It’s structured kind of like a visual representation of comic strips. There is little bits, little jokes. A couple of characters come on and have a little interaction and then out they go, and others come in and have more interactions.
“It just kind of follows Charlie Brown through a day in his life, through different seasons. There is a Valentines part where he wants to send the Little Red-Haired Girl a Valentine. And, he wants to send Lucy a Valentine, but he really can’t manage it very well,” Womeldorff said. “We give some insight into the characters as they go through their days.”
Musical numbers include "My Blanket and Me," "The Kite," "The Baseball Game," "Little Known Facts," "Suppertime," and "Happiness."
The original play was done on Broadway in 1967.
“A revision was done (in 1999) and they added a couple of songs, like a song Lucy sings called “My New Philosophy,” where she comes up with different life philosophies that are quite humorous,” Womeldorff said. “Also, Schroeder has a song that’s new called “Beethoven Day” where he has a celebration for the composer Beethoven.
“It is a fun show. It’s lots of fun, and as with most of the Peanuts Shows, they typically end with an uplifting message about perseverance and friendship and being positive and this show is no exception,” he said.
The cast includes: Cadence Manners as Sally Brown; Shealeigh Clark as Lucy van Pelt; Adian Marshall as Snoopy; Talan Robertson as Schroeder; Aidan Gomez as Charlie Brown; Brelin Summers as Linus van Pelt.
There are understudies and ensemble members who will join in, too, for some of the bigger musical numbers.
Ensemble: Adrian Ortiz Shermy (Linus Understudy); Kieran Modica Marcie (Snoopy Understudy) and Aubree Wyland as Peppermint Patty.
Crew: Gyselle Palmer, Cole Kennett, Sadie Ray, Trinity Darling, Lauren Forbes, Jayce Quirin, Ariel Adams, Andrea Chapman, Kadence Ball, Oliver Helton
Orchestra: Taylor Rea, Ken Weaver, Caden Valdez, Davis Clark, Carter Swanson, Leslie McConnell, Joseph Cervantes, Makenzie Taliaferro, Brianna Boucher.
Costume, Hair, and Make-up: Sera Swanson; Choreography: Emily Zahurones;
Assistant Director: Jacob Martinez; Sound design: Jonathon Wells; and
Light design: Kye Hoisington.