Berkeley Playhouse at the historic Julia Morgan Theater continues their seventh season with You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown directed and choreographed by Christina Lazo (Chicago, The Rocky Horror Show with Altarena Playhouse; All Shook Up, West Side Story with Tri Valley Repertory Theatre; A Chorus Line, Catch Me If You Can with Woodminster; and Bye Bye Birdie with Contra Costa Musical Theatre). Previews begin tonight, February 19, and runs from February 21 to March 15, 2015 at the Julia Morgan Theater, 2640 College Ave. in Berkeley. BroadwayWorld has a first look at the cast in action below!
For more than 60 years, Charlie Brown, Snoopy, and the whole Peanuts gang have been making childhoods just a little more wonderful. The two-time Tony Award-winning musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown brings the heartfelt comic strip to life with some of the gang's most memorable situations and characters such as the Kite-Eating Tree, the Little Red-Haired Girl, Lucy's psychiatry booth, and Snoopy's battles with the Red Baron.
Lazo's creative team includes Musical Direction Matt Smart (Bye Bye Birdie and Tarzan with Contra Costa Musical Theatre; [title of show] with OMG Productions), Scenic and Lighting Design by Mark Hueske (Barry Manilow at the Las Vegas Hilton; Teatro ZinZanni; State of Grace - a collaboration with visual artist Anne Patterson at Grace Cathedral in San Francisco, Letter from Birmingham Jail with Anna Deavere Smith), Costume Design by Tammy Berlin (Marin Shakespeare, St. Mary's College, and Bay Area Children's Theatre, Central Works), Sound Design by Taylor Gonzolez (Berkeley Playhouse, San Francisco Mime Troupe's Youth Theater Project), and Prop Design by Debbie Shelley (Diablo Theatre Company, Contra Costa Musical Theatre, Saint Mary's College, Center Stage Theatre Company, Pacific Coast Repertory Theatre, New Conservatory Theatre, and Central Works).
THE CAST: The professional cast includes Ashley Cowl as Lucy [Little Shop of Horrors (Audrey), A Chorus Line (Maggie), Legally Blonde (Serena), and CATS (Bombalurina) with Woodminster Summer Musicals; Anything Goes (Hope) with Willows Theatre; CATS (Demeter) and 42nd Street (Phyllis) with Cabrillo Music Theatre]; Kevin Hammond as Linus [The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (Leaf Coneybear) with Masquers Playhouse, Barnum (Tom Thumb) with Contra Costa Civic Theater, Plaid Tidings (Sparky) with Douglas Morrison Theatre, Oklahoma! (Will Parker) with Stage 1, Avenue Q (Rod), and All Shook Up (Dean Hyde) with Tri-Valley Rep Theatre]; Harmony Livingston as Sally [Catch Me If You Can at Woodminster Summer Musicals. Off Broadway: Angelina Ballerina the Musical!]; Danny Quezada as Schroeder [Mary Poppins with Berkeley Playhouse; Carrie the Musical (Freddy) with Ray of Light Theatre - West Coast Premiere; La Cage Aux Folles (Jean Michele), The Addams Family with Contra Costa Civic Theatre - Bay Area Premiere; and Forever Plaid (Sparky) with Tri-Valley Rep Theatre]; Alex Rodriguez as Snoopy [Mary Poppins (Bert) with Berkeley Playhouse; Triassic Parq with Ray of Light Theatre - Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Actor; Evita with Broadway by the Bay - Theatre Bay Area Award for Best Actor. National Tour: Miss Saigon. Highlights: Cabaret (Emcee), Rent (Angel), 42nd Street (Billy Lawlor), A Chorus Line (Paul). Films: Love, Concord, The Stranger in Us, Trainers, A Million Miles Away, and The Shed]; and Zac Schuman as Charlie Brown [Avenue Q (Brian), The History Boys (Timms) with New Conservatory Theatre Center; The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee (William Barfée) with Center REP; Little Me (Yulnick and Brucey) with 42nd Street Moon; ...and Jesus Moonwalks the Mississippi (Yankee Pot Roast) with Cutting Ball Theatre; The Rocky Horror Show (Eddie and Dr. Scott) with 6th Street Playhouse; and I Love You Because (Jeff) with Lucky Penny Productions.
Tickets are now available through the Box Office, call (510) 845-8542 x351 or visit berkeleyplayhouse.org.
Photo Credit: Ben Krantz Studio
Poor Charlie Brown (C. Zac Schuman) can never seem to catch a break
Snoopy (Alex Rodriguez) dreams of fighting The Red Baron
Lucy Van Pelt (Ashley Cowl*) sure has a sunny disposition for someone so mean
Linus Van Pelt (Kevin Hammond) proves that sometimes your blanket is the best protection you can have
Fast talking Sally Brown (Harmony Livingston) can get away with just about anything, even turning in some coat hangers for an A+ school assignment
Lucy Van Pelt (R. Ashley Cowl*) isn't shy about her feelings for Schroeder (L. Danny Quezada) who is less interested in love as he is in Beethoven
Poor Charlie Brown (L. Zac Schuman) missed the bus again as his friends (Harmony Livingston, Danny Quezada, Kevin Hammond, Ashley Cowl*) encourage him to run a little faster
The cast of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown (Clockwise Zac Schuman, Danny Quezada, Alex Rodriguez, Harmony Livingston, Ashley Cowl*, Kevin Hammond) with rescued puppy, Pirate Jenny. Berkeley Playhouse is teaming with Berkeley Humane for the run of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown to help find families for rescued dogs with onsite adoptions, as well as a pet food drive at the theatre.
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