You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown
by Clark Gesner
January 2004
The Gallery Players, Brooklyn, NY
Producer: M.R. Goodley
Director: Matt Schicker
Choreographer: Brian Mulay
Musical Director: Brandon Sturiale
Set Design: Tim Amrhein
Lighting Design: Natalie Robin
Costume Design: Kathleen Leary
Production Stage Manager: Amy L. Smith
Cast: Christopher Gleason*, Brian Ogilvie, Nicholas Sattinger*, Jennifer Smiles*, Lauren Spees, and Dax Valdes
*Member, Actors’ Equity Association
What I’m Most Proud Of: Charlie Brown was my first musical at The Gallery Players, and I was very pleased with my staging and with the performances. It was a very straightforward production for the most part, but had a few “personal” touches. I was inspired by a photo that appeared in The New York Times of a boy walking in front of one of a Roy Lichtenstein sculpture on the roof of the Metropolitan Museum, so we used that photo as a launching point for the “look” of the show.
I loved the look of the set, inspired by Lichtenstein.
Snoopy’s house revolved to reveal a set of flashy silver steps! Nick Sattinger’s rendition of “Suppertime” owed something to Liza Minnelli!
Reviews and Quotes:
“Matt Schicker smartly directed the production with a meticulous attention to detail and adept eye for staging.”
Off-Off Broadway Review
“This production has the warm glow of simplicity and the clear ring of truth.”
The Brooklyn Papers
“The production [of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown] now showing at The Gallery Players…goes back to both the original book and original spirit of Gesner’s simple play. In other words, director Matt Schicker and his talented cast of 20-somethings have no intention of aping a Schulz strip…the characters as new to us as they were when Gesner first wrote the musical.”
The Brooklyn Eagle
“Director Matt Schicker has wisely and cleverly chosen to present the cast as Brooklyn kids…”
nytheatre.com
More Photos (all photos by Andy Feldman and Tim Amrhein):
Christopher Gleason as Charlie Brown
Jennifer Smiles as Lucy
Dax Valdes as Linus
Lauren Spees as Patti
Brian Ogilvie as Schroeder
Nick Sattinger as Snoopy
“The Book Report” (note Linus’ laptop)
“Rabbit Chasing”: this was a very zany section of the show!
“Baseball Game”: Brian Mulay’s wonderful choreography for this number paid homage to the Marx Brothers.
“Little Known Facts”
We had great kids’ groups at the show.
Classical toy pianist (and Park Slope resident) Madeleine Leng Tan visited the cast with a young friend!
Matt and Nick’s old college roommate, David Burtka (Tulsa in the Broadway revival of Gypsy) attended a performance.
