April 18, 2012 (Edit)
Filed under Arts in the Peekskill High School newspaper Mercury
Peekskill High’s Red Devil Repertory Puts New Spin on Classic Peanuts Musical
Junior Michael Snell leads the cast as Charlie Brown, and senior Stephanie Gil plays his friend and sometime nemesis Lucy van Pelt. Lucy’s little blanket-loving brother Linus is portrayed by junior Lucas Sanchez. Sophomore Afua Yeboah plays Charlie’s precocious little sister Sally and sophomore Sterling Fite is the musically gifted Schroeder. Anyone who ever wondered what Snoopy is thinking or how he would sound if he could sing will have their curiosity satisfied in the personification of Snoopy as portrayed by sophomore Sheridan Alexander. Other familiar Peanuts characters join in, including Brandi Overby as Peppermint Patty, Ursala Jones as Pig Pen, Kyleah Mulligan as Violet, Arianna Memoli as Marcy, Paige Hill as The Little Red-Headed Girl and Brittany Brown and Quiana Malcolm as the dancing twins.
You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown was first produced on Broadway in 1967 with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. The Peekskill High School cast will use the score from the Broadway revival in 1998, which offers new songs by composer Andrew Lippa, adds the character of Sally Brown and has more contemporary musical arrangements.
Snoopy has two of the show’s very fun song and dance numbers, but there are many more fabulous songs that span genres from standard Broadway to R&B, gospel, classical and more. There is even a complex Madrigal about a book report on Peter Rabbit and a retelling of a baseball game in good ol’ waltz time. The brightly-colored, oversized set design is executed by Stagecraft Advisor Cat Griffin and her student technical crew. A small ensemble of professional musicians will accompany the show, conducted by music director Brian Zane. Costumes by Olga Stone transform every actor into their young character.
This family friendly show offers something for everyone. Not only will adults have a chance to visit once again with these beloved Charles Schultz characters, but a whole new generation will be introduced to the beloved blockhead and his Peanuts gang.
For further information, contact: Katie Schmidt Feder, Drama Director Peekskill High School
Cell Phone: 347-453-3182
Email: katieschmeder@hotmail.com
