An enduring clown, that ‘Charlie Brown’
Amy Poe looked at the wooden props depicting a school bus, a red dog house and a mailbox on the theater stage at Newport Harbor High School and thought of her childhood.
“This was my Saturday morning as a kid,” Poe, the school’s drama director, said with a smile. “I’d watch ‘Peanuts’ on television with my siblings and I was mesmerized by Charlie Brown. I want to bring back those happy memories.”
To do so, Poe and a cast and crew of about 45 drama students, ranging from freshmen to seniors, will present Charles Schulz’s beloved “Peanuts” comic by way of Clark Gesner’s classic musical “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” with performances April 30 to May 2 at the school’s Robert B. Wentz Theatre.
The whole gang will be there to depict an average day in the life of Charlie Brown: There’s bossy Lucy (Rebecca Bailey), who is infatuated with piano prodigy Schroeder (Austin Christansen) perfectionist Sally (Sabrina Von Bogenberg), who pokes fun at Linus (Chris Surridge) for his love of his blanket, Snoopy (Mackenzie Gaddis) and his imagination and Charlie Brown (Race Chambers), who is hopelessly in love with a mysterious red-headed girl.
The story, told through two acts of vignettes that mimic a format used by the comic strip, features songs including “The Kite,” “Suppertime” and “My New Philosophy.”
“I want everybody to come out with their families and be a kid again and realize what makes you happy,” Poe said. “They’ll realize it’s the simple things that lift you up.”
To spread the message, the students will present two matinees Tuesday for Newport-Mesa elementary schools, with a 10 a.m. performance for students from Mariners, Whittier and Newport Heights elementary and a 1 p.m. show for Mariners and Woodland elementary.
Poe, who grew up in Philadelphia and who moved to California to co-teach drama at Quartz Hill High School, said her first year at Newport Harbor has been exciting for her because she wants to educate her students on all aspects of a production, from the lighting to the sound to the set.
McKennah Bleu, a 17-year-old junior, said she has been involved in sound design since freshman year. Her responsibilities for the musical entail specifying audio for a variety of sound effects, including the school bus’ horn and the teacher’s voice, as well as controlling the stage’s microphones from a sound booth.
“It’s always really exciting when you learn how to work with machines that are used on Broadway,” said McKennah, who plans to pursue a sound engineer career.
High school drama students, Poe said, have the early advantage to be trained and prepared for a career in theater. With tech rehearsals scheduled to run from 3:15 to 9 p.m. on school nights, students learn to work under pressure while balancing a work load of theater deadlines and other school courses.
“Everyone involved, from the technical people to the teachers to the actors and to the parents, put a lot of effort into it, and we’d love for everyone in the community to see it,” said Melissa Abrams, whose daughter Alexis, a junior, has a role in the ensemble.
The production was funded by the Newport Harbor High School Drama Foundation, which provides financial and logistical support for the dramatic arts and arts education in the Newport-Mesa Unified School District.
“You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” is the high school’s second production of the year, following the fall semester’s presentation of “Shakespeare by the Harbor,” which featured scenes from “As You Like It,” “Romeo and Juliet” and “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” A third production is set for “Senior Night Live.”
Having contributed their time and work to the current show, students said the musical has given them opportunities to learn technical aspects of a production and to use creative processes to solve problems in such areas as performing, research and management.
For 16-year-old Caroline Wilkes, the musical is her first opportunity to serve as stage manager. She said she learned that cast and crew members have to work together cooperatively for the production to be a success.
“I’ve learned people be can hard to manage,” Caroline said with a laugh. “But I love it.”
Good grief.
If You Go
What: “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown”
When: 7 p.m. Thursday and May 1; 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. May 2
Where: Robert B. Wentz Theater, Newport Harbor High School, 600 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach
Cost: $10 to $20
Information: (949) 515-6300 or nhhsdrama.com