Like the 1966 Batman TV series, the Peanuts gang works on different levels depending on your age. I remember spending hours as a child reading compilation books of the Peanuts comic strip from the library. I greatly enjoyed them without ever seriously grasping the dark side of that world. That came last year as I rewatched It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. The kids all go trick-or-treating, and after each house they say what they got. Charlie Brown’s revelation is that he got a rock. And that happens at every house. I don’t think in all the years I watched that special as a kid that it ever really struck me how messed up that is.

This is my second time seeing a production of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. The first was at Stages Theatre Company, where the cast was entirely young people and the show was geared toward kids. Artistry’s new production illustrates how casting and direction can change our perception of the show. Artistry has cast the show with well-known local actors, all over 60 years of age. This sets us up to view it not through the lens of childhood, but through those of adults. It feels different tonally, even though it is the same material.

Now, the problem with the show is not the cast or the tone. Either are valid ways of producing the show. The problem is in the material itself. The show lacks any kind of story arc. In a way, it’s appropriate, as it models the original comic strip format of short little segments. But when you transfer a show to a new medium, you need to adapt it to that medium. Think of A Charlie Brown Christmas or It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown. When they created those specials around the Peanuts characters, they came up with a story into which there were certainly little bits that felt like stand-alone moments, like the individual comic strips, but it told a story. Here, there is no through line. That is what is missing, and it may be the sort of thing you pick up on more on subsequent viewings.

Several of the songs are alright, most are forgettable, but there is one that actually is really quite nice, and it’s probably the best moment in the show. When the whole cast is looking up into the sky and sings “Happiness” at the end of the show. It was a nice stand alone moment that illustrated what the show could have been.

Look, I love Peanuts and all the characters created by Charles M. Schulz, and I really love this cast. The idea of doing the show with this cast is a good one, and the execution is probably about as good as it could be. The fact remains, this is a featherweight show, and it doesn’t matter how many heavyweights you bring into it, it is never going to be anything more than it is: a collection of comic strip moments.

The cast features Jay Albright as Charlie Brown, Michelle Barber as Sally, Bradley Greenwald as Snoopy, Tod Petersen as Linus, Jen Santoro Rotty as Lucy, and Joenathan Thomas as Schroeder. They are all doing everything they can.

Costume Coordinator Britt Hilton also deserves to be acknowledged for helping to bring these characters to life.

You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown runs through October 25th at Artistry in Bloomington. For more information and to purchase tickets go to https://artistrymn.org/charliebrown

I want to alert you faithful readers to a new Website that has just started up in the Twin Cities. It’s called 79 Seconds on Stage and it is a free and full guide to local theatre in the Twin Cities.

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