good show, charlie brown
Rating: 5
You're A Good Man Charlie Brown
by She&Her Productions
Saturday night's performance of "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown" at She&Her Productions was very enjoyable.
I had made my way down to the west bottoms to go check out the new theatre nestled under the 12th street bridge, right amongst all of the madness that currently is the haunted houses. I didn't quite know what to expect going down to the bottoms with all the freaks and ghouls in the thick of Halloween season. My first concern was that I was going to have to park a mile away due to all of the haunted house traffic. I was pleasantly surprised when I got there to find a nice, fenced-in, well lit parking lot of "Charlie Brown parking only". Right next to the theatre no less. That was nice! Nothing is more annoying when you go to a show and have to fend for yourself when it comes to parking.
Seeing a show in a new and interesting place is always an exciting experience. I love the way that She & Her productions have utilized the space in this building. I can't wait to see another production there. Walking in - it reminded me of the feeling I had the first time I saw a show at the old LateNight Theatre. From the outside it doesn't look like much – but it's what's on the inside that counts. I was expecting a sort of open, "free for all" performance space with folding metal chairs. They had actual cushioned theatre seating that was comfortable and elevated on risers. The Stage had two levels which added a nice depth to the performance. Sometimes the action was down in front of the audience other times it was on the actual stage. The most surprising feature of the theatre was the elevated lounge area off to the side of the lobby, furnished with comfortable seating and art work, (a very cool place to hang out pre-show and intermission.) The possibilities of what they can do in this building are endless.
Tiffany Schweigert-Garrison has managed to assemble a near perfect ensemble, a very talented group of young actors. We are all familiar with the Peanuts gang. These beloved characters were brought back to life with a simple familiarity about them, yet each actor added a new level and life to these classic characters. My two favorite performances were Jeff Newman as Schroeder and Tracy VanUnen as Sally. Granted those are my favorite two characters in this particular show, so I am always slightly more biased towards them but at the same time more critical of them. These two actors delivered and completely blew me away. The rest of the cast was equally talented and deserves props for their Exciting and Energetic performances.
The choreography offered some nice little surprises here and there, especially for such an intimate space. The lighting design was very cool. A backlit drop with classic comic strips projected during the scene transitions, some very simple yet well planned lighting effects really complimented each and every number in the show.
I will say that I was a little leery of the band sitting right next to the audience (that rarely ends well.) But the sound was well managed and despite a few minor technical difficulties with the stage mics; once the show got going, I couldn't even tell that the band wasn't in a pit or back stage.
A great show, Bravo!
read the review at KC Stage
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