You’re a Good Man, George Perkins.
Oops: and you too, Charlie!
Of course, everyone in and beyond Greater Kennebunk who’s seen one of Perkins’ productions knows this. He cares deeply about live musical theatre, and his onstage work, over nearly 40 years of directing, never fails to confirm that truth.
But after seeing his handiwork onstage at Nasson Little Theatre in Springvale last night—the heartwarming, high-energy musical comedy You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown—I came home with an even bigger smile on my face than usual, thinking, “This guy Perkins is not just a Good Man, he’s a DAMN good man!”
Why? Because in his hands, this production—on stage, happily, through July 30 at NLT—became for me and everyone around me an unforgettable experience—a foot-tapping, tune-humming romp into the irresistible magic of live musical theatre. As a wholesome, thought-provoking, laugh-filled night on the town, Charlie Brown at Nasson Little Theatre would be hard, if not impossible, to beat.
So how has Perkins pulled it off? He’s done it by doing a truly superb job of directing this play, pulling out all the stops, covering every theatrical base, and treating You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown not just as light-hearted entertainment—which it most certainly is—but as a gently powerful vehicle for profound, uplifting ideas about what it means to live a rich, rewarding life in the midst of difficult times—and how each of us can work to achieve it.
Here (below) is my heartfelt, no-nonsense report card for the show:
The acting: remarkably uniform in quality, across the board(s)—a sure sign of smart casting and thorough, exceptionally well-informed direction. Thank you, George— and of course thanks to all of the dedicated, hard-working, passionately immersed actors who so skillfully breathed life into this production.
The choreography: Imaginative, humor-filled, hard-driving, theatrically convincing.
The singing: Many beautiful voices, judiciously employed at every turn to tell the touching story of Charlie Brown’s struggles to free himself of insecurities and finally acknowledge his worth to everyone around him.
The Set Design, Props, & Special Effects: A clean, unpretentious, well-designed set, with skillfully constructed, well-painted props and, when necessary, well-executed special effects.
The Pit Orchestra: Under Karen Mathews’ skillful direction and keyboard magic, altogether a good, tight demonstration of the kind of musical ensemble one hopes to hear at any performance. Woodwinds and strings well done and—always critically important—strong, sure-footed percussion and bass underpinnings.
Outstanding Moments:
Hunter Roberts as Charlie Brown—a fine, always-on-pitch voice, strong stage presence, and an uncanny ability to turn what was obviously a tall, strapping young adult male into someone’s impish, insecure little brother.
Cat Mathews as Lucy Van Pelt—powerful comedic sense, superb stage movement & physical gesturing, terrific voice.
Ash Muise as Linus Van Pelt—a thoroughly commanding performance as a likable young-un with a desperate, tragic-comedic dependency on just one little otherwise forgettable strip of fabric.
Jerrod Comer as Schroeder—An all-around hell-of-a-good job, perhaps especially as Commander-in-Chief of his very own grand piano. Comer did an exquisite job satirizing the typical classical pianist at work—everything from sky-high arm sweeps and left-hand to-right-hand cross-overs to up-flipping the tails of his tux before sitting himself down at the keyboard. He was the very reincarnation of Victor Borge, on stage unexpectedly at NLT and animated, entirely convincingly, by a little boy’s stereotypical way of behaving in front of a little girl.
Josie-lynn Perkins as Sally Brown—As a reviewer, I couldn’t begin to imagine anyone—other, perhaps than Carol Burnett—who might do a better job than Josie-lynn did of disappearing into an entirely different character, at an entirely different age, and doing all of it with astonishingly convincing authority. A superb performance in every respect.
Emma Stevens as Snoopy—It was a puppy-perfect, three-dog night for Stevens, who turned in a flawless performance as a human who thinks he’s a dog who thinks he’s a human, all to fantastic comic effect—and with breathtaking physical agility.
So there you are: my straight-shooting, visceral response to an exceedingly well done performance! There are lessons in this play for everyone’s need, but perhaps especially for families, whose mission has always been to pass along to their children precious, lasting, life-changing values—and for anyone who just needs a good, unending laugh at all of the absurdities of being a youngster, hard at work—often against formidable odds—at becoming an adult.
We’ve all been there and done that, but now it’s your turn to go down to Springvale, this weekend or next, and see just how well this troupe performs, and in a play it’s pretty much impossible not to love.
— Review by Ross Alan Bachelder of artsaplenty.me