Family-friendly musical adaptation of “Peanuts” comics premieres

Winona State University’s Department of Theatre and Dance presents “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” in the Vivian Fusillo Theatre of the Performing Arts Center from Wednesday, Oct. 11 to Saturday, Oct. 14.

The show is the first musical of the 2017-2018 season and is adapted from the popular “Peanuts” comic strip by Minnesota cartoonist Charles M. Schulz.

For auditions, actors performed a song of their choice, as well as read through portions of the script for different characters. Each actor also sang different songs from the show, as each character has a song specific to them.

Eli Wood, a psychology major who stars as the title character Charlie Brown, said he has a personal connection with the show.

“My mom was thrilled I was cast in the show because she was in it at one point,” Wood said. “I loved getting to compare notes with her.”

West Campus residents may also recognize Wood as a singer at a recent performance at Mugshots Coffeehouse.

Andrew Elmquist, who plays Schroeder in the show, said he is thrilled that this is his first show at Winona State.

“I auditioned because I really loved acting in high school and I wanted to continue it through college,” Elmquist said. “I’ve never been in a show where the cast is this small so that’s been an adjustment, but I really enjoy it.”

The actors said they used a few different methods to prepare for the show, like watching the Peanuts holiday specials, reading the comics and listening to the Broadway performance soundtrack.

Janelle Johnson, a senior studying music business, plays Sally, Charlie Brown’s little sister

“Growing up, I watched a lot of the cartoons, but I never really looked at the quirks Sally had,” Johnson said. “It’s been an interesting experience going back and watching them to see how she gestures and talks.”

Wood said people who have seen shows before from the theatre and dance department are in for a new experience than in years past.

Wood, who starred in “Spamalot” last year, was

thrilled to perform in a show for families so his

siblings could come see it.

“It isn’t just a show for kids, because parents can look back and remember the Peanuts cartoons and have fun,” Wood said. “It’s nice to be able to invite my whole family to see a show here because I love showing off what we do.”

Johnson agreed that it was nice that anyone could come in knowing everything or nothing and still be able to follow the narrative and enjoy the show.

Wood and Elmquist said a significant challenge of being a part of a big show is managing time. Wood is a resident assistant and Elmquist is a small group leader for his campus ministry.

“With the practices being 18 hours a week and having to work and do school on top of it, it can get pretty tough,” Elmquist said. “That’s probably the most challenging part of being an actor in college.”

One element of the show the cast is excited to showcase is the mirroring of cartoonish movements.

“Our director, Heather [Williams-Williams] wanted us walking and moving like cartoons,” Elmquist said. “It’s been a challenging skill for me to learn, but it’s going to be so interesting to watch when the show opens.”

Another way the show showcases elements of the comics is the costumes, which have been in the works for a few weeks.

The costumes team started with sketches and worked their way to creating the full design, finishing up final touches this week.

Noah Schomburg, a freshman art education major, is eager to show off his Snoopy costume.

“I haven’t tried on the whole thing yet, just a few elements, but I have seen it hanging up and I think people are really going to love it,” Schomburg said.

Though the musical is a challenge compared to previous Winona State productions, the cast is ready to show audiences their hard work.

“It’s a lot of work, but hopefully it shows when we put it on. I know the whole cast is ready and excited,” Elmquist said.