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A student production of the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown will raise money for local charities 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 3 p.m. Sunday, at the Williams Center for the Arts.
Tickets cost $5 and can be purchased 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Friday at the Farinon Center, during the day Friday at the Chaplain’s Office, or at the Williams Center within 45 minutes of each performance.
Based on Charles Schultz’ popular comic strip, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown chronicles a day in the life of Charlie Brown and his imaginative beagle, Snoopy. The musical opened at the Theatre 80 St. Marks in New York City on March 7, 1967. The production lasted 1,597 performances and spawned six touring companies between 1967-71.
This weekend’s show is presented by the Marquis Players, a student group that produces and performs an annual musical to raise money for local charities. Last year’s production of the comedy Sugar raised $3,500. The 18 Marquis Players musicals have raised about $67,000 for charity.
Rehearsals for Charlie Brown ran two to three hours each night, five days a week from the start of the semester, according to director Tyler Cohn ’06 of Wantagh, N.Y., who is majoring in English with a theater concentration and a minor in history.
“I’m not a math major, but it adds up to a tremendous amount of time,” he says. “But it has all been worth it. Rehearsals were a lot of fun as well as a great learning experience for the cast. Charlie Brown has been a fun and important project for me, and it is at last ready to roll. I think audiences will be most pleased.”
Cohn directed a few shows in high school on a smaller scale than his current project. Although Charlie Brown is still relatively small as theater productions go, he says, it is a massive undertaking.
“Coordinating everything — music, actors, costumes, lights, fund raising — has been a challenge, but fortunately I have a very dedicated production staff and a talented and enthusiastic cast, crew, and pit (orchestra) to help me along,” says Cohn, who will study abroad next semester at University of Melbourne in Australia. “I couldn’t have done it alone.”
“Audiences can expect to be entertained in a way that I don’t think most shows can entertain an audience, in that they will be familiar with but also surprised by the characters and the show itself,” he adds. “Everyone knows these characters, but seeing them on stage is an entirely different experience than reading the comics or watching the cartoons. If audiences are not captivated by this show, I don’t know what can captivate an audience. The show is fast-paced, bright, and fueled by a fierce energy; the music is varied but always catchy and memorable; and the script is full of classic comedic moments.Charlie Brown is a very unique musical, and I think audiences will immediately pick up on that and enjoy it.”
He participated in the College Theater productions of The Two Gentlemen of Verona and Little Shop of Horrors and last year’s Marquis Players show.He serves on the executive board of the Arts Society and the editorial staff of the Marquis literary magazine, and is a tour guide.He has taken two Lafayette interim session study abroad courses, The London Theater and The Geologic Evolution of the Hawaiian Islands.
Leads
Charlie Brown — Matt Roy ’07
Snoopy — Mike McFadden ’04
Lucy — Toni Ahrens ’05
Linus — Benji Berlow ’06
Schroeder — Steve Bayer ’04
Sally — Caryn Donohue ’06
Ensemble
Franklin — Bill O’Brien ’07
Shelly — Melissa Spitz ’06
Rerun — Christie Morley ’06
Freida — Jess Goldblat ’06
Lucinda — Laura Smothers ’06
Marcy — Christina Frey ’05
Peppermint Patty — Ashley Mahler ’07
Shermy — Stephen Bruestle ’07
Pig Pen — Stacey Ehrlich ’05
Little Red Headed Girl — Jess Lenza ’05
The Woodstocks
Lis Edwards ’04
Emily Gallant ’07
Colby Block ’06
Samara Spielberg ’07
Production Staff
Director — Tyler Cohn ’06
Assistant Director — Toni Ahrens ’05
Pit Director — Marc Gittleman ’06
Vocal Director — Jess Lenza ’05
Choreographer — LeAnn Dourte ’05
Assistant Choreographer — Colby Block ’06
Set Design — Mike McFadden ’04
Costume Team — Rachel Glover ’04, Caryn Donahue ’06
Lighting Design –Rusty Wandall ’04
Props Master — Amie Aguiar ’04
Stage Manager –Nate Lonergan ’04
Webmaster — Benji Berlow ’06
Marquis Players Executive Council
President — Mike McFadden ’04
Vice President — Toni Ahrens ’05
Secretary — Benji Berlow ’06
Treasurer — Amie Aguiar ’04
Business Manager — Jessica Goldblat ’06