The Tony® award-winning family musical You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is set to arrive at the newly renovated Geelong Arts Centre in January 2024.
What’s On Production Company, by arrangement with Origin Music, Tams Witmark and Concord Theatricals, will be producing a professionally staged production of You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown at Geelong Arts Centre’s, new, state-of-the-art “The Story House” Theatre.
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was originally staged in 1967 with music and lyrics by Clark Gesner and later in 1999 with revisions by Andrew Lippa. It is based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz in his comic strip, Peanuts – a syndicated daily and Sunday U.S. comic strip originally running from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns.
Peanuts is among the most popular and influential comic strips of all time, and is “arguably the longest story ever told by one human being”, running in over 2,600 newspapers, with a readership of around 355 million in 75 countries, and was translated into 21 languages.
Peanuts focuses on a social circle of young children, where adults exist but are rarely seen or heard. The main character, Charlie Brown, is meek, nervous, and lacks self-confidence. He is unable to fly a kite, win a baseball game, or kick a football held by his irascible friend Lucy, who always pulls it away at the last instant!
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is a whimsical and inspiring family musical, with innovative humour and irresistible character relationships that make this a show for all.
The award-winning creative team for this production are Geelong locals who have worked professionally around Australia and internationally.
Directing the production will be Green Room Nominated and Guild Award Winning Director, Paul Watson (We Will Rock You, Wicked, Tick Tick Boom, RENT, Jersey Boys, Once).
“I feel like Geelong Arts Centre will be home for us for the next six months… and that’s a great thing!” says Paul Watson. “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is truly a show for everyone, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring this colourful cast of characters back to the stage.”
Choreography will be handled by Green Room Nominated and Guild Award Winning Choreographer, Venessa Paech (The Wedding Singer, Rent, We Will Rock You, The Boy From Oz, How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying, Chicago). A graduate of the renowned musical theatre program at Tisch School of the Arts, New York University, Paech worked in New York theatre for years, before returning to Australia.
“I’ve had the privilege of working on Broadway stages, but there’s nothing to beat creating opportunities for home-grown talent and giving back to this wonderful community,” said Venessa Paech.
Watson and Paech have been collaborating for three decades and are currently working on Jersey Boys for Geelong Lyric Theatre Society.
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown will play the Geelong Arts Centre for one week only (11 – 13 January 2024), Early bird tickets go on sale in July. Submissions for cast auditions will open soon. For more information, visit: www.charliebrowngeelong.com for details.
Image: What’s On Production Company presents You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown