At the Avon Theatre, Stratford. Based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz. Directed and Choreographed by Donna Feore. Book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner. Additional dialogue by Michael Mayer. Additional music by Andrew Lippa. Set by Michael Gianfrancesco. Costumes Dana Osborne. Lighting by Kimberly Purtell. Video Design by Sean Nieuwenhuis. Starring: Andrew Broderick, Stephen Patterson, Erica Peck, Ken James Stewart, Amy Wallis, Kevin Yee.
One would expect a show about the sweet, innocent, perpetual ‘loser’ Charlie Brown to have charm. Like Charlie Brown we hope for the best. In the Stratford Shakespeare Festival production of You`re A Good Man, Charlie Brown, that opened last night, we have a wonderful, wide-eyed, charming performance from Ken James Stewart. It’s to director Donna Feore’s credit that her cast is multi-racial. They all work very hard. They have to in order to actual be seen and heard in this over-blown, overly microphoned, visually distracting production.
Is ‘hideous’ too strong a word?
Feore’s vision for this is to be loud, garish, and overwhelming with stimulation. While Michael Gianfrancesco’s set is simple and bright, Sean Nieuwenhis’s constant video barrage is distracting. Feore’s direction is cluttered and clumsy. Her choreography is pedestrian.
Full review on CIUT FRIDAY MORNING CIUT 89.5F On Friday June 8.
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Ok, “hideous” had me gaffawing. I also want to point out that in R Ouzonian’s review of 42nd Street at Stratford that he is confused with up and downstage. “Toward the apron” would be downstage, not upstage, as he writes. Bah.