By Dylan Fair
Arts Editor
The Mira Costa Drama Department has been a model of consistency and a staple of entertainment for the student body. After a two-year hiatus from fall musicals, its newest production, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown,” is a delightful return to form.
Despite an unfocused and overly simplistic storyline, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” is carried by the Drama Department’s superbly talented leads. The charisma of the cast as a whole, in combination with its vivid, cartoonish set design and costumes, come together to create a charming and energetic production.
“You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” is composed of various adapted scenes from the “Peanuts” comic strip. The musical contains no over-arching narrative but, instead, is made up of a multitude of vignettes that exhibit the majority of notable “Peanuts” characters, specifically Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Sally, Linus and Schroeder.
“Charlie Brown” is carried by multiple charasmatic performances. Junior Matt Sena pulls off Charlie Brown’s signature self-loathing character while remaning lovable; Lucy (junior Sabrina Mongiello) carries herself with the same narcissism that made her one of the most unique characters in the comic strip. Charlie’s sister, Sally (sophomore Julia Mcdermott), and her pet dog, Snoopy (senior Matt Phillips), are both equally lovable and enjoyable.
The most notable success of the production is an abundance of talent throughout the cast. Each actor and actress is brimming with skill. Mcdermott’s performance is perfect in her depiction of Sally. Her nasally, high-pitched tone garners laughs with every line spoken. Her posture on stage is
especially adorable, and her incredibly awkward walk adds humor to her role.
Another strong characteristic of the play is its vibrant set design. The set is bursting with a plethora of colors. The artwork on the set encapsulates and resembles the unique comic book-style of the “Peanuts” series.
Every character in the production is well-dressed for the part. The costume design is nostalgic and adds believability to every character. In certain cases, female characters (as in the case of Peppermint Patty) are tastefully and hilariously transformed into boyish characatures.
If “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” has flaws, they reside in the musical itself, not in Costa’s excecution of it. As a series of vignettes strung together by recurring characters, the play sometimes feels meaningless. Despite the humor of “Charlie Brown,” it lacks of a cohesive plot and is unable to fully grasp the attention of the audience.
The original production of “Charlie Brown” consisted of a small cast of only six people, but Drama Department Chair Carol Matthews included an additional 14 roles. In many scenes throughout the production, it is apparent that many characters are haphazardly thrown onstage in order to include everyone.
As a whole, “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” is better then the sum of its parts, because its parts are incredbily talented. The play is a testament to the individual talent held by Mira Costa’s students.
“You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” is playing its final shows tonight at 7:30 p.m. and tommorrow at 2 p.m. and at 7:30 p.m., all in the auditorium.
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