Our New Philosophy: Charlie Brown at Cumberland Players is Fantastic!

by Dominic Traini

Last night I attended Cumberland Player’s production of the cult classic musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. 

Evan Harris, who portrayed the staple character, Charlie Brown was simply perfection. He exemplified Charlie’s “lovable loser” aura expertly. I particularly took note of the defeated look on his face after every misfortunate encounter with the other iconic Peanuts characters. Harris also had the best rendition I’ve seen of the classic lunchtime monologue. He was both comedically awkward and hopeless while also being honest and real, leaving the audience reacting with many audible “awws” at his constant misfortune. It was clear to everyone in the audience that Harris was simply born to play Charlie Brown, making him the definitive performance of this character in my mind. 

Snoopy, portrayed by Austin Satinsky, was simply comedic gold, making him my personal standout of this production. There wasn’t a missed beat of his performance; every line and song was delivered just right in order to have the audience in tears from laughing so much. Every time Satinsky walked onstage I knew we were in for a treat. He infused such personality into every moment, even when he wasn’t speaking. Snoopy could have zero lines in a scene but the audience could hone in on him and see a complete story being told. However, the best part was - it was never too much. I stand by the philosophy that an “ensemble” (even if Snoopy definitely is NOT an ensemble character) should never take away from the focus of the scene, but be able to be focused on and see a full story being shown. Satinsky clearly understood that, making every moment of his performance simply perfect.     

MJ Smith was as fantastic as Linus, Charlie’s philosophical blanket-obsessed friend. Smith made so many hysterical choices that the audience was in tears, my favorite of which being a bit where he would come out onstage wearing the blanket in entirely different ways. His “Blanket and Me” was also incredible, making that my personal standout number in the show. I loved choreographer Jessica Brotherton Newlin’s choice to have each of the actors not only come out onstage with their own blankets but also later do the iconic peanuts dances from A Charlie Brown Christmas.

Liz Mattera and Shane Barrett played the perfect duo as Lucy and Schroeder, expertly portraying Lucy’s unrequited love and Schroeder’s complete disinterest. I especially loved Barrett’s completely overdramatic piano playing, it was the perfect amount of cheesy fun the show needed. I was also impressed by how perfectly it lined up with the pit (led by the amazing Music Director Jared Moskowitz and consisting of Gary Schneider, Daniel O'Neill and Mark Petti). Liz Mattera also played a fantastically tough, mean, but also lovable Lucy. I especially liked how she layered made the character, making the audience feel genuinely bad for her during the survey scene. 

Rounding out the cast, Sally was played by the excellent Kelly Lynn Flores, who added such an annoyingly lovable charm to Sally. I took note of how wonderful her “My New Philosophy” was, having the perfect mix of character acting while still sounding excellent. 

Of course, none of this could have happened without the wonderful direction of Brian K. Herrick, who clearly understood the assignment of the show, making it as campy and fun as possible while still leaving room for more pulled back and sweet moments like the final number of the show, “Hapiness”. This number added much-needed emotion and also heart to a show that had so much fun and character. 

The technical aspect of the show was amazingly fantastic, having a perfectly campy and cartoony set by set constructors Micheal Blandino, Monica DiMauro, and Danny VanMeter along with the set painting team consisting of Julie Morell, Elena Marcato, and Jason Renyolds. Morell and Austin Satunsky also designed the props, while Tyler Davis handled the lighting design. And of course, the wonderful costumes were designed by Beth Bladino. All of these aspects perfectly brought Charles M. Shultz’s world to life right before the audience's eyes. 

Overall, I urge you to go see this production. It has the perfect mix of humor and warmth that will leave you thinking about it way after the final curtain has closed. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown runs until April 13th at Cumberland Players! Purchase tickets here: https://www.etix.com/ticket/v/32825