Good Grief: DHCT’s “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” opens on Friday the 13th

By SUE SUCHYTA

            Theatre people are a superstitious lot. They say “break a leg” to wish each other good luck, they avoid mentioning the name of Shakespeare’s Scottish play and they leave a ghost light onstage in an empty theatre. They even believe a bad dress rehearsal means a good opening night.

GOOD GRIEF?

            So with the Dearborn Heights Civic Theatre opening their production of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” on Friday, April 13, the question remains: Will it invoke a round of “good grief” or bring the community theatre the success it deserves?

            DHCT will perform the show in the round April 13, 14, 20, 21 and 22 at the Berwyn Center at 26155 Richardson in Dearborn Heights. Friday and Saturday shows are at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. closing Sunday matinee.

            For more information see their Facebook page or go to www.dhctstage.org.

            Good attendance at the performances will help make the show a financial success, and both the cast and crew say Charles Schulz’s “Peanuts” characters are enjoyed by children and evoke happy memories for adults.

            Emily Gedert of Dearborn, who plays Lucy, said the show appeals to all generations.

FROM COMIC STRIP TO CARTOONS TO STAGE

            “It appeals to the young kids – it (has) adults running around and acting like kids, being silly,” Gedert said. “But it appeals to the older generation, too because it kind of brings back the nostalgia of the Peanuts comic strip.”

            Sara Mayne of Redford Township, who plays Sally, added that several generations have watched the Peanuts cartoons on television.

            “Everyone kind of watched it growing up,” she said. “All ages – from my parents, to us – we watched it when we were little and now even kids are watching it.”

SCHULZ'S SOAP BOX?

            Brian Welch of Dearborn, who plays Snoopy, said that Schulz used the comic strip as a way to express his philosophy to adults.

            “I think… Charles Schulz wrote his cartoons to the older generation based on political views of his life,” Welch said. “But he used kids as his cartoon characters to vocalize those views. So that’s why I think it will appeal to the adults and to the kids.”

GOING TO THE DOG...

            Welch, who has played Snoopy before, said he is working with his dog to learn some of the canine characteristics.

GIVING SNOOPY A VOICE

            “I’m doing the nuzzling with the chin and things like that,” Welch said. “I have actual lines, but we’re playing it as if (the Peanuts characters) don’t hear the lines. All they hear is the ‘row-row-row-ruff’ type stuff, but the audience hears it.”

            He said Snoopy is a great comic role.

            “‘Suppertime’ is an amazing number,” Welch said. “It’s probably my favorite part of the show… it just brings out everything. He’s such a great character role and has great lines. It’s a wonderful role… playing an animal – you try to grasp that concept and you have people laughing – I do the little ‘dog tail wag’ when he asks for supper and things like that. It’s fun!”   

            Just as Welch is bringing unique canine touches to his role, director Marc Walentowicz of Garden City said he hopes his staging the show in the round will make their performance of the show different from others he has seen.

IN THE ROUND

            “There are the challenges of trying to make it so that everyone feels included in every scene, but I mean there are also no limits,” Walentowicz said. “You can go anywhere, you can do things. I love that you can move set pieces… you can take a dog house and spin it around where you couldn’t do that on a regular stage because you wouldn’t see it once it turned around.”

GO FLY A KITE

            He said they have figured out how to do the show’s kite flying scene.

            “It’s not build yet but we figured out how to do it,” Walentowicz said. “We’ll leave that surprise for the audience.”

APPEALS TO ALL AGES

            He encourages people of all ages to see the show.

            “If anything this is truly a show that appeals to 3-year-olds to 100-year-olds,” Walentowicz said. “I mean pretty much everyone has grown up with Peanuts in their lives… it relates to everybody. I would encourage everyone to come – entire families.”

CHANNEL YOUR INNER CHARLIE BROWN?

            He said of all the characters he identifies the most with Charlie Brown.

            “Everybody kind of feels like they’re downtrodden and the weight of the world is on their shoulders like Charlie Brown does,” Walentowicz said. “And that’s by design because Charlie Brown is based on Charles Schulz himself.”

WOODSTOCK CAMEO

            Walentowicz added another unique touch by having one child in the cast – choreographer Laura Tyler’s 10-year-old daughter Sophia, a fifth grader at Tonda Elementary in Canton Township plays Woodstock, Snoopy’s feathered friend.

            “Sophia’s having a great time being Woodstock,” Tyler said. “She’s having a blast being with this group… Marc’s vision was that Woodstock was just this cameo that you only saw in this little blip (“Suppertime”).

            She said the group’s been great for her to work with as well, and that everyone helps each other learn the dances.

            “I’ve been able to push and do more than I thought I’d be able to do because they’ve just banded together so well,” Tyler said.

BEETHOVEN DAY

            She said her favorite number is “Beethoven’s Day.”

            “I love ‘Beethoven’s Day’,” Tyler said. “When it hits it really clicks. You’re like ‘Yes!’”

THE BLANKET DANCE

            “The Blanket Dance” is James Mayne’s favorite number. The Redford Township resident, who plays Linus, said that’s why people should come see the show.

            “It’s my solo song (with)… Clara (Albright) dressed up as my blanket – that’s our huge dance break in Act I,” he said.

            Albright, who plays Peppermint Patty, is a senior at Riverview Community High School.

            Mayne said he’s having a lot of fun in a theatre group that is new to him.

            “It was a little intimidating to be outside of my comfort area,” he said. “But then everybody’s really nice and welcoming and seems to get along well for the most part.”

CAST

            Others in the cast include Sean Randolph of Canton Township as Pig-Pen, Ron Williams Jr. of Redford Township as Charlie Brown, Dustin Hanson of Westland as Roy, Marissa Campitelle of Inkster as Marcie and Cory Chambliss as Schroeder.

CREW

            Brian Londrow of Inkster is the musical director, Jerry Kondracuik of Garden City is the producer and Amanda McFarland is the assistant director.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

            For more information, go to www.dhctstage.org.

Heights hopes Peanuts popularity will fill theatre

The Dearborn Heights Civic Theatre held their first read-through for the musical, “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” on Sunday, Jan. 29 at the Berwyn Center. The cast includes Redford Township resident Sara Mayne (left) as Sally, Dearborn resident Emily Gedert as Lucy, and Redford Township residents James Mayne and Ron Williams as Linus and Charlie Brown respectively. The show runs April 13, 14, 20, 21 and 22 at the Berwyn Center, 26155 Richardson in Dearborn Heights.

 Photo by: Sue Suchyta

By SUE SUCHYTA

            Like many people, director Marc Walentowicz has been a Peanuts fan since he was a kid, which led his to choose “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” as the Dearborn Heights Civic Theatre spring musical.

PEANUTS IN THE ROUND

            They will be performing the show in the round April 13, 14, 20, 21 and 22 at the Berwyn Center at 26155 Richardson in Dearborn Heights.

            “When I was trying to think of a show to do, I kept coming back to this one,” Walentowicz said. “A lot of people I know had done it or directed it and they all highly recommended it, so I thought I would give it a shot – and I really, really like it.”

            With the audience seated on three sides he feels there is better interaction between the actors and the audience as well as more flexibility of movement for the cast.

            Technically, though, it presents other challenges.

GO FLY A KITE

            “We have to get together and figure out how we’re going to do a kite flying scene in the round in the Berwyn Center,” Walentowicz said with a laugh.

DANCING IN CHARACTER

            Doing dance numbers with the audience on three sides presents a unique challenge for choreographer Laura Tyler.

            “You’re always challenged to keep all the audience involved all the time,” Tyler said.

            She said she’s explained to the cast that the choreography is not technically difficult for the show, but the challenge lies in them making the dance reflect their characters.

MAKING IT “COME ALIVE”

            “It’s not “42^nd Street,” it’s not “West Side Story,” but the actors have to take the choreography and make it come alive,” Tyler said. “Make it Charlie Brown, make it Lucy, make it Linus. So technically it’s not really that difficult; it’s getting them to take it and make it their own and bring the characters out.”

BRINGING LUCY TO LIFE

            Emily Gedert said that being an older sister has prepared her to bring the part of Lucy to life.

            “I kind of grew up as Lucy as soon as my little brother Greg was born,” Gedert said. “I kind of took on the role of protective older sister, tried to show him the ropes but at the same time I had to teach him that I was in charge; whether that was a good thing or a bad thing you’d have to ask him.”

            She said she’s trying to play Lucy sophisticated and charming, but with a strong stage presence.

            As she grew up her mother introduced her to the Charlie Brown television specials, and she played the part of Lucy for drama teacher Greg Viscomi while a student at Dearborn High School. She said her life experiences since then will allow her to more fully develop her character.

MAYNE ROLE

            James Mayne, who plays Linus, said that even though he’s the oldest of three siblings, he’s always been a little kid at heart. His younger sister Sara has been cast as Sally, also a younger sister, in the production.

FROM SOCK MONKEY TO BLANKET

            Like Linus’ blanket, Mayne said he had a special comfort object growing up: Pippo, a sock monkey which his mother made by hand. Pippo is still around, and Mayne said Pippo took on the role of an unofficial good luck prop in “The Drowsy Chaperone” and “On Golden Pond” at the Players Guild of Dearborn.

            This is the largest role Mayne has played to date, and he said is a bit nervous.

WHAT’S MY LINE?

            “Once I found out I got the part I was really excited,” Mayne said. “But then I did have a couple brief minutes there of ‘Oh my God what did I just do?’ as I started flipping through (and) looking at the number of lines as I started highlighting and highlighting and highlighting.”

            He’s also excited to be stepping outside his comfort zone and trying a show outside of the Players Guild, where he has worked exclusively to date.

SARA AS SALLY

            His younger sister Sara Mayne, who plays Charlie Brown’s younger sister Sally, is also excited to be able to play a role in a new venue.

            She played the part of Sally at Redford Union High School in “Snoopy – the Musical,” which she said was different from “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” because she didn’t have any solos in that production.

JUST KIDDING AROUND

            While she successfully played a kid in “The 25^th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at the Players Guild of Dearborn last year, she said she doesn’t see herself becoming typecast.

            “I don’t like to fall into too many parts of the same type, but it is fun to act like a little kid, so that never really gets old,” she said. “You don’t get to do that every day.”

FROM BEARD TO BALD?

            Ron Williams, who had to shave off his beard to impersonate a woman in  the comedy “’Til Beth Do Us Part,” which closed Jan. 29 at the Players Guild of Dearborn, is now contemplating whether to shave his head, which currently sports a crew cut, for the part of Charlie Brown.

A 6-YEAR-OLD IN A MAN’S BODY?

            He said he’s still a kid at heart, and sometimes feels like a 6-year-old trapped in a 30-year-old man’s body.

KICKING AROUND IDEAS AND FOOTBALLS

            He also believes that Charlie Brown’s gullibility allows him to keep trying to kick the football that Lucy inevitably yanks out from under him.

            “I think Charlie Brown really wants to think that everybody’s great, and they’re not,” Williams said. “It’s kind of sad actually.”

SNOOPY OUT-OF-THE-BOX

            Brian Welch is reprising the role of Snoopy, having played the character two years ago with a community theatre in Grosse Pointe. He said he finds the part of Snoopy to be fun and quirky.

            “He gets to do these ‘out-of-the-box’ type things,” Welch said. “You get to represent a dog… when I did it before I tried to put dog-like actions to actually being human.”

            He added that he finds it fun trying to create the character of an animal when you’re a person.

FILLING THE HOUSE

            Producer Jerry Kondraciuk said the biggest challenge he faces as the show’s producer is not technical – it’s getting people to come see their shows.

TRADE WORRIES FOR LAUGHTER

            “It’s more of a challenge nowadays with the economy the way it is to get people to want to come out and see a show,” Konraciuk said. “This time we’re hoping the comic aspects of the show will harken back to people’s childhood and they’ll decide that they want to come and have a good time.  There’s a lot of singing, a lot of dancing. We’ve got a great cast, so we’re hoping this will be the show to finally get our group out of the funk that we’ve been in.”          

CAST CORNER

            Others in the cast include Corey Chambliss as Schroeder, Sean Randolph as Pig-Pen, Dustin Hanson as Roy, Clara Albright as Peppermint Patty, Marissa Campitelle as Marcie and Allison Shenk as Violet.

            For more information see their Facebook page or go to www.dhctstage.org.

Dearborn Heights Civic Theatre announces cast for “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”

By Sue Suchyta

            Director Marc Walentowicz of the Dearborn Heights Civic Theatre announced the cast last week for the group’s spring musical, “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

GOOD GRIEF: FROM DRAG TO DRAB

            Ron Williams of Redford, who recently played the hysterically funny Hank, who impersonates a female British chocolatier in the Players Guild of Dearborn’s “Til Beth Do Us Part,” will play Charlie Brown, the perpetual optimist who has one-too-many footballs pulled out from under him.

LUCY AND LINUS

            Emily Gedert of Dearborn, who has appeared in the group’s productions of “Godspell” and “Nuncrackers, the Christmas Musical” will play the part of Lucy Van Pelt. James Mayne of Redford will play her philosophical blanket-toting little brother Linus.

SALLY AND SNOOPY

             Sally Brown will be played by Sara Mayne of Redford, who played a precocious kid in last year’s production of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee” at the Players Guild of Dearborn.

            Riding a doghouse and spreading dog germs as Snoopy will be Brian Welch of Monroe.

PIANO AND PEPPERMINT

            Plymouth resident Cory Chambliss will play Schroeder, while Wyandotte resident Clara Albright will play Peppermint Patty. 

 

MARCY, MARCY, MARCY…      

            Marissa Campitelle of Inkster, who recently played Laurie in the Dearborn Heights Civic Theatre production of Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” will play Marcy.

PIG-PEN AND SHERMY

            Sean Randolph of Canton Township will play Pig-Pen.  Chris Fraser of Detroit, who recently appeared in the Dearborn Heights Civic Theatre production of “Biloxi Blues” as Epstein, rounds out the cast as Shermy.

MARK THE DATE

            The show, which runs April 13, 14, 20, 21 and 22 at the Berwyn Center, 26155 Richardson in Dearborn Heights features musical direction by Brian Londrow and choreography by Laura Tyler.