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'Peanuts' is the recipe for relaxation in dead week By
Dusty Decker
There is nothing like being awakened from the dullness of the "dead" week before finals to be thrust back into the childhood simplicity of cartoon memories. It is good timing that Utah State's theatre arts department is presenting You're a Good Man Charlie Brown, written by Clark Gesner and directed by Kevin Doyle. Watching the play is like reading a bunch of Peanuts cartoons all together. Some of the scenes were so random, you just had to laugh, and others revived your memory of the Charlie Brown cartoons you had watched as a kid. I'd forgotten how Schroeder, played by Cory Castillo, is always playing the piano or conducting music while that crabby Lucy, played by Amber Lynne Tuttle, is always chasing after him. I also had forgotten about Linus, played by Eric Van Tielen, and his trusty blue blanket. Patty is in there too, played by Lillith Fields, but the character reminded me more of Sally, Charlie Brown's younger sister who loves Linus. Also, Marcie isn't there -- the one who has dark hair and glasses and loves Charlie Brown. Snoopy is played by Katie Ackerman, who does a pretty good job. She didn't look like Snoopy and at first I didn't think it worked, but she played the part so well and kept me laughing with unexpected desires to bite people and extended dancing and singing when Charlie Brown brought Snoopy's dinner that I liked her by the end. There is even a scene where Snoopy pretends to be the World War I flying ace looking for the Red Baron. The props were well done and added to the cartoon atmosphere. Snoopy's house was great along with an oversized chair for Linus's TV watching, a brick wall where they always go to, to talk, and the psychiatric booth that Lucy uses to make money. The costumes were also great and brought the characters to life with their oversized shirts and matching socks. Phillip R. Lowe, who played Charlie Brown, did an excellent job. He had just the right facial expressions that gave the character a sense of being worthless, but hopeful. Of course he is always thinking about the little read head girl and is always too scared to talk to her. The best thing about this play is the way each actor portrayed the character so well by establishing his/her personality and maintaining that throughout the play. Lucy's tantrums and endless devotion to Schroeder, along with Linus's crazy stunts with his blankets, made me want to keep watching or run to the video store and rent some Charlie Brown cartoons. The play, which began Nov. 30, continues through Saturday. The next play of the theatre arts department is an adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol on Dec. 14-15 in the Morgan Theater USU Chase Fine Arts Center.
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