Creative Team

Director — Julia Davidson Truilo
Music Director — Terry Tichenor
Choreography — Chuck Hoenes
Sets — Bob Fetterman
Costumes — Brian O'Keefe
Lights — Annmarie Duggan

Book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner
Study Guide written by Gary Cadwallader

Cast of Characters

Charlie Brown — Charlie Brown wins your heart with his losing ways. It always rains on his parade, his baseball game, and his life. He's a constant worrier who frets over little things. Charlie Brown is concerned with the true meaning of life, and his friends sometimes call him "blockhead." He has a knack for putting himself down, and usually he's the butt of a joke. He can be spotted far away in his shirt with the zig zag stripe. He is considerate, friendly and polite; never wins the baseball game or the attention of the little red-haired girl, kicks the football Lucy is holding, or flies his kite successfully. Charlie Brown's friends call him "wishy-washy", but his spirit will never give up in his quest to triumph over his misfortunes.

Snoopy — Snoopy is a very active beagle. He is excellent at every endeavor, especially in his daydreams atop his doghouse. A one-dog show with a vivid imagination, he has created such personalities as: a fearsome dinosaur, a sinister vulture, an ice-hockey star, a figure skater, a best-selling author, a world-famous lawyer, Joe Cool, a World War I flying ace, and a Foreign Legionnaire. Snoopy never speaks (to humans anyway), and he loves to kiss. He regards his master, Charlie Brown, as "that round-headed kid" who brings him his supper dish.

Lucy Van Pelt — Lucy Van Pelt works hard at being bossy, crabby and selfish. She is loud and yells a lot. Her smiles and motives are rarely pure. She's a know-it-all who dispenses advice whether you want it or not - and for Charlie Brown, there's a fee. She's a "fussbudget," in the true sense of the word. She's a real grouch, with only one or two soft spots, and both of them may be Schroeder (who prefers Beethoven). As she sees it, hers is the only way. When it comes to compliments, Lucy only likes receiving them. If she's paying one - or even smiling - she's probably up to something devious.

Linus Van Pelt — Linus is Lucy's younger brother and is the intellectual of the gang. He amazes his friends with his philosophical revelations and solutions to problems. He can put life into perspective while sucking his thumb and holding onto his security blanket.

Schroeder — Schroeder idolizes Beethoven and is reserved and usually unruffled, except when Lucy or anyone else seeks to make his piano into a playground. He started as an infant musical prodigy and can play extremely difficult piano pieces the moment he receives them.

Patty — One of the three original Peanuts characters (the others were Charlie Brown and Shermy), Patty was the first Peanuts girl. Patty is a friend to everyone, and she never hesitates to share her opinions.

The Play

You're a Good Man Charlie Brown originally opened Off-Broadway on March 7, 1967, at Theater 80 St. Marks in New York City. It played for over 1,500 performances (more than 3 years!) then transferred to Broadway's John Golden Theater on June 1, 1971.

The show was created by Clark Gesner, who wrote the book, music and lyrics. It was directed by Joseph Hardy, and the actor who originated the role of Charlie Brown was Gary Burghoff, better known as Radar from the hit movie and television show, M*A*S*H.

The Source

The source materials for the musical You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown are the story lines and characters from the Charles M. Schulz popular comic strip, Peanuts.

Peanuts is perhaps the most successful comic strip of all time. Created by Schulz in 1950, the Peanuts strip was based on Schulz's first comic strip entitled "L'il Folks," which ran in Schulz's hometown newspaper, the St. Paul (Minnesota) Pioneer-Press. When Schulz sold his "L'il Folks" comic strip idea to United Features Syndicate, the company which sells comic strips to newspapers all around the world, the name had to be changed to avoid confusion with another strip entitled, "Little Folks."

Peanuts has become one of the largest and most enduring comic strips ever produced and has gone beyond the newspaper-only medium to be collected and bound in both story books and big picture books, adapted into animated television programs and feature films, used to sell products for companies such as Met Life Insurance and Hallmark Stores, and even tailored into this popular Broadway musical.

A Charles Schulz and Peanuts timeline…

1922 Charles Schulz was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 26.

1922 Two days later, an uncle nicknamed him "Sparky" after Spark Plug, the name of cartoon character Barney Google's horse.

1927 A nursery school teacher told Schulz: "One day, Charles, you'll be an artist."

1937 Schulz's drawing of his dog Spike appeared in Ripley's Believe it or Not.

1940 Schulz's parents enrolled him in an art correspondence course through the Art Instruction School.

1943 On graduating from high school, Schultz was drafted into World War II.

1945 Schulz was sent to France with the 20th armored division.

1946 Schulz was employed to do the lettering of cartoons for a Catholic journal.

1947 Schulz became employed by his school, the Art Instruction School, and began drawing his first comic strip, L'il Folks, for a St. Paul newspaper.

1947 Several of Schulz's cartoons were accepted by The Saturday Evening Post.

1950 United Features Syndicate contracted with Schulz for the rights to his "L'il Folks" comic strip and changed the name to Peanuts. It started syndication in seven daily newspapers. Charlie Brown, Patty, and Shermy are the first characters. Charlie Brown's dog, Snoopy, is added late in the year.

1951 Schroeder, the infant musical prodigy who is devoted to Beethoven, is added to the strip.

1952 Lucy Van Pelt, the crabby little girl, and her little brother, Linus, are added to the strip. The first book of Peanuts cartoons is published by Rinehart of New York.

1954 Linus has his security blanket for the first time.

1955 The Rueben Award, the highest recognition of the National Cartoonist Society, was presented to Schulz.

1958 Snoopy began walking on his hind legs! Yale University named Schulz Cartoonist of the Year.

1965 Schulz's first animated special for TV, A Charlie Brown Christmas, was shown. It won an Emmy Award for best animated feature. Peanuts is featured on the cover of Time Magazine.

1966 The television special, It's The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, debuted.

1967 The musical, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown, debuted Off-Broadway and became a huge hit.

1969 Apollo 10 took off from Kennedy Space Center to orbit the moon with a command module called "Charlie Brown" and a lunar module called "Snoopy".

1970 Linus' "security blanket" is included in Webster's Dictionary. In the strip, Snoopy joins the Ice Follies.

1971 Snoopy adds his Joe Cool character to the strip along with his First World War pilot, his golf champion, the novelist, the hockey champion and the brilliant lawyer.

1983 An amusement park, Camp Snoopy, opens at Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park, California.

1984 The Guinness Book of World Records declared Peanuts the world's most popular comic strip for being sold to 2,000 newspapers.

1996 Charles Schulz is given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

1999 You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown was given a big Broadway revival. Charles Schulz decided to retire from cartooning. On February 12, the night before his last strip was to appear in more than 2,500 newspapers around the world, Charles Schulz died at his home in California. Peanuts had been, and continues to be, read in over 28 languages in 68 countries, making it the most popular comic strip ever printed.

What is a comic strip?

A comic strip is a story told in a series of squares, or panels, drawn horizontally, and read like text from left to right. Comics usually depict the adventures of one or more characters in a short time sequence. Sometimes dialogue appears encircled in a line, known as a balloon. It usually issues from the mouth or head of the character speaking. Other times the words appear in captions above or below the drawings. Some comic strips appear in the newspaper every day of the week and some appear only on Sunday. The comics are commonly known as the "funnies."

Some comic strips are humorous and have punchlines to make us laugh (Peanuts, Hagar The Horrible), while others are adventure tales about superhuman beings (Superman, Tarzan). Some feature families (For Better or Worse, Blondie), some animals (Garfield, Marmaduke). How did comic strips end up in our newspapers?

The history of the comic strip

The first American cartoon with the essential characteristics of a comic strip was drawn by Richard Outcault (1863 - 1928) and appeared as the series, Hogan's Alley. First published on May 5, 1895, in the New York newspaper Sunday World, the setting was the dirty city tenements and backyards filled with dogs, cats, tough characters, and ragamuffins. One of the urchins was a big-eared, bald-headed child with a quizzical, yet knowing, smile. He was dressed in a long, dirty nightshirt, which was used as a surface for Outcault to write the young boy's comments. At the end of the 1800's, the newspapers were experimenting with colored ink for the first time, and they chose the boy's nightshirt to test the color yellow. It was a success, and the popular cartoon boy became known as "The Yellow Kid."

The success of "The Yellow Kid" proved that comics did indeed sell newspapers, and they quickly became a newspaper staple. Other popular early strips included Buster Brown (premiered 1902), also drawn by Richard Outcault, Little Nemo in Slumberland (premiered in 1905) by Winsor McCay, Mutt and Jeff (premiered in 1907) by Bud Fisher, and the Katzenjammer Kids (premiered in 1897) by Rudolph Dirks. The Katzenjammer Kids is still being drawn, making it the longest running comic in history.

Newly formed syndicates (see below) made mass circulation of comics possible to newspapers in both large cities and in small towns. Newspapers used comics as a way to expand their readership and outsell their competition. Did you know that the most widely syndicated comic strip in 1950, the year Peanuts appeared, was Blondie by Chic Young? Blondie premiered in 1930, and is still being drawn today by the creator's son.

What is cartoon syndication?

The word syndication (sin'dih-cay-shun) comes from the word syndicate which is a group of people or companies created to promote one common interest. A cartoon syndicate is a company that handles numerous cartoonists and the strips they draw. Here's how they work:

A cartoonist (like Charles Schulz) sends or takes samples of his comic strips to a syndicate office. If the syndicate likes his work and thinks that newspaper readers would enjoy the comic strip, the cartoonist and the syndicate form a business partnership. The cartoonist would then supply the syndicate with comic strips and the syndicate would then edit, package, promote, print, sell and distribute the comic strip to newspapers in the United States and around the world on an ongoing basis.

If you love to draw and are interested in becoming a cartoonist, here are some things that you can do now to read up on getting your cartoons syndicated:

Books — There are some excellent books in the library about cartooning. The best one for someone interested in becoming an artist is Drawing On The Funny Side of the Brain: How To Come Up With Jokes For Cartoons and Comic Strips. It takes you step by step into the world of drawing cartoon characters and creating funny story lines.

Another good book is Funny Papers: Behind The Scenes of the Comics. It will give you a brief history of the comics and give you excellent examples of the most popular comic strips ever.

The Internet — If you would like to see examples of almost every comic strip ever written, visit Don Markstein's Cartoonopedia at stormloader.com/markstein/cartoonopedia/index. You will find over 250 comic strip articles detailing their history and their creators.

Cartoon Syndicates

There are basically four cartoon syndicates that take submissions of new work. They are the United Features Syndicate (Peanuts, Dilbert, Marmaduke), King Features Syndicate (Blondie, Beetle Bailey, Popeye), Universal Press Syndicate (Garfield, Cathy, The Far Side), and Tribune Media Service (Little Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy).

A wonderful web page called "So, you want to be syndicated?" appears at http://www.comicspage.com/syndicated.html. There is also a wonderful guide to submitting comic strips the Universal Press Syndicate website listed below. Click on "What is Universal Press Syndicate", then click on the "Submission Guide".

Here is how you can reach the syndicates:

Did you know the International Museum of Cartoon Art is close by in Boca Raton, Florida? Here is what they say in the advice section of their website is the best way to improve chances of succeeding as a cartoonist: "The single best way of improving your chances of success is to practice. Only by drawing and writing cartoons do you get better at it. Invariably the cartoonists whose work we like best turn out to be those who draw cartoons regularly whether anyone sees their work or not.

Another key to success is to read a lot. Read all sorts of things -- fiction, magazines and newspapers. Humor is based on real life. The more you know about life the more you have to write humorously about."

Glossary of Terms

Adagio con brio - "Remember..adagio con brio." (Schroeder) An Italian musical term which means slowly but with vigor.

Adversity - "You bravely face adversity…" (All) A state of hardship or misfortune.

Aerodrome - "…back at the aerodrome…" (Snoopy) A shed for housing an airplane.

April Showers - "…he'd playing something nice like 'April Showers'." (Lucy) "April Showers" is a very popular song by Buddy DeSylva and Louis Silvers made famous by actor Al Jolson ("The Jazz Singer")

Benevolent - "…established from the start as a benevolent hero…" (Linus). Concerned with doing good.

Candor - "…I didn't expect complete candor in all the responses…" (Lucy) Sincerity and openness of expression.

Count Dracula - "I am the Count Dracula from Transylvania." (Linus) The Count is best known as the evil vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel, Dracula. Stoker based his story on the 15th century legend of Vlad the Impaler. Transylvania, home to much of the vampire myth, is a region of Romania.

Delve - "Why, Charlie Brown, you really have to delve." (Lucy) To search deeply and completely.

Dr. Seuss - "…so I put down Dr. Seuss." (Linus) Dr. Seuss is the pen name of Theodore Geisel (1904-1991), the zany and inventive author and illustrator who created the Cat in the Hat, Horton the elephant, and the Grinch.

Enigma - "He said you were an enigma." (Lucy) Something puzzling or unexplainable.

Flagon - "Behold the flowing flagon…" (Snoopy) A large vessel, usually with a handle and spout, that holds liquids.

Frere Jacques - "…or even 'Frere Jacques'." (Lucy) "Frere Jacques" is a traditional French song that is usually sung in a round.

Fokker triplane - "It's a Fokker triplane!" (Snoopy) A Fokker trirplane was a German airplane used by the Red Baron (see below) during World War I. Known to be lightweight and agile, the Fokker was known for its ability to climb very quickly. A triplane is an airplane with 3 wings, one on top of another. The Red Baron said, "The Fokker climbed like a monkey and maneuvered like the devil."

Fortitude - "Yes, we had fortitude…" (Charlie Brown) Strength of mind that allows one to endure pain.

Fussbudget - Lucy is described as a fussbudget. A fussbudget is someone who fusses over small things or always thinks about the bad things in every situation.

Futile - "…suddenly it all seemed so futile." (Patty) Having no outcome or effect.

Home On The Range - Sung at Glee Club rehearsal by All. "Home on the Range", the state song of Kansas, was sung on the prairies of America during the westward expansion in the mid-1800's. The writer of the song is unknown.

Irving Berlin - "Hooray for Irving Berlin." (Lucy) Irving Berlin (1888-1989) was one of the most popular songwriters of the 20th century. Born in Russia, Berlin came to America as a boy in 1893, and is known for writing such classics as "White Christmas," "God Bless America," "Alexander's Ragtime Band," and "Blue Skies." Irving Berlin also wrote the songs for the musical, Annie Get Your Gun.

Peter Rabbit - "A book report on Peter Rabbit." (All) Peter Rabbit is a character in the 1902 book The Tale of Peter Rabbit by author and illustrator Beatrix Potter (1866-1943). Peter, along with his brothers and sisters, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cotton-tail, get into mischief in Farmer McGregor's garden.

Montsec - "I can see the woods of Montsec below." (Snoopy) Montsec is an area in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. Close to the German border, Montsec was the site of a brutal battle during World War I. The American 1st Army and the American 2nd Army helped liberate the area in 1918. The closest large city is Nancy, France.

Psychiatrists - "Some psychiatrists say…" (Charlie Brown) A doctor who specializes in the human mind.

Robin Hood - "It reminded me of Robin Hood." (Schroeder) Robin Hood is the legendary 12th century English hero, who, along with his band of "merry men" stole from the rich and gave to the poor. They lived in Sherwood Forest.

Slake - "…sent to slake our thirst." (Snoopy) To satisfy a craving.

Socrates - "I think Socrates was very right…" (Schroeder). Socrates was a Greek philosopher who lived from 470-399 B.C. He is known for his theories of virtue and justice, which were written down by his student, Plato (427-347 B.C.).

Sopwith Camel - "…over France in his Sopwith Camel…" (Snoopy) World War I fighter airplane the Allies (U.S., England, Canada) used to defeat the Germans. The Sopwith Camel is an agile airplane and has two wings (biplane) and two humps over its machine guns. That's why it's called a camel. Snoopy may be imitating Canadian Roy Brown who used his Sopwith Camel to shoot down the infamous Red Baron.

Superficial - "…it is important that the superficial characteristics…" (Schroeder) Concerned with only what is apparent or obvious.

Valentine's Day

Charlie Brown never gets a single valentine on Valentine's Day. How did Valentine's Day come about? Here is the history of Valentine's Day, February 14, as we know it.

Valentine's Day is named after St. Valentine, a Christian martyr who was put to death in the year 270 for defying Roman Emperor Claudius II. Claudius decided that single men made better soldiers, so he made a law forbidding young men to marry. Valentine, a priest, defied Claudius and married young couples anyway. Claudius retaliated and threw Valentine in jail, where he eventually died.

The date February 14 was chosen by Pope Gelasius in the year 498 to commemorate the now saint Valentine and his refusal to back down.

In the middle ages (1000-1500) St. Valentine came to be the patron saint of lovers who lived under harsh conditions or who were unable to be together. In the 1600's St. Valentine's Day became a popular occasion in England, and in the 1700's, small gifts, tokens, or handwritten notes, were exchanged by friends or lovers as a sign of affection. Around 1800, preprinted Valentine cards became popular, and with postage cheaper than ever, cards were sent to friends and acquaintances miles away.

In America, Valentine's Day became popular in the mid-1700's. In the 1840's, Esther Howland became the first person to manufacture preprinted Valentines and her idea spread quickly. Ever since, Valentine's Day has grown in popularity and now, according to the U.S. Postal Service, it is the second most popular card-sending holiday after Christmas.

Did you know that the symbol for Valentines Day, Cupid, is the son of Venus, the Roman Goddess of Love? In Greek mythology, Cupid is known as Eros, son of Aphrodite.

Ludwig von Beethoven

When Schroeder sits down at his piano he usually plays the music of Ludwig von Beethoven, his idol. Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany in 1770, to Johann von Beethoven (1740 - 1792), a singer and music teacher, and Maria Magdalena Beethoven (1748 - 1787). His grandfather also named Ludwig (1712 - 1773), was a well-known and well-respected singer and teacher who died when little Ludwig was only three years old.

Beethoven was first given music lessons by his father when he was four years old. Johann knew that Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756 - 1791) had been a celebrated musical genius by the time he was four and wanted the same success and adoration for his own son. But by the time Ludwig was ready to perform, the novelty of a child musical genius was all but over.

At age 11, Beethoven became the assistant organist at the royal court in Bonn, and then in 1787, went to study in Vienna where he had several lessons from Mozart himself.

In 1789, Beethoven started composing his own music and playing the viola. The next year he started studies with the well-known composer Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 - 1809), and found a patron, Prince Lichnowsky (1771 - 1837), to support him financially while he worked on writing and performing. In 1795, Beethoven performed in public in Vienna for the first time, and began publishing his compositions. With concerts in Prague, Dresden, and Berlin, Beethoven's popularity grew and flourished with each passing year.

Beethoven's life is generally divided into three periods. The first period, or the early years (1792-1802), includes great works like the Piano Sonata no. 8 "Pathetique" (1799), Symphony no.1 in C (1800), and the "Moonlight" Sonata (1801), which is the piece of music Schroeder plays in You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown. The middle years (1802-1813), include important works like the "Eroica" Symphony (1803), Fidelio (1805) - his one and only opera - and the "Emperor" Concerto (1809).

Beethoven's third period, the later years (1813-1824), is known by compositions such as the Mass in D major, Missa Solemnis (1823), and the "Choral" Symphony no.9 (1824), sometimes known by the title of its last movement, "Ode to Joy."

One of the most amazing things about Beethoven was his ability to compose musical masterpieces while slowly losing his hearing. He first noticed a loss of hearing as early as 1796 and, frustrated, gave up performing and teaching soon after. It didn't, however, stop him from composing. He continued to compose masterpieces throughout his entire life. Some say that the cause of Beethoven's hearing loss was the result of his habit of pouring ice cold water over his head, even in the midst of winter, to keep himself refreshed while he wrote music. Even so, Ludwig von Beethoven proved that even without his hearing he understood music completely and could compose a beautiful melody even though he couldn't hear it when it was performed.

The Red Baron

One of Snoopy's favorite heroes is a World War I flying ace who does battle with the dangerous German pilot, the Red Baron. Snoopy, in aviator goggles and scarf, sits atop his doghouse searching for his enemy.

The real Red Baron was Baron Manfred von Richtofen, famous during World War I because he single-handedly downed eighty French and English aircraft as leader of the German fighter squadron known as von Richtofen's "Flying Circus." Von Richtofen was nicknamed the Red Baron because of the bright red plane he chose to fly as a challenge to opposing airmen.

Even the Allied Forces (England, France, Canada, and United States) held this German flying ace in high regard. When the Red Baron was finally shot down over France in 1918 by a Canadian, Captain Arthur Roy Brown of the British Royal Flying Corp., he was buried by the Allies with full military honors - a funeral befitting his position in life and of the legend to come.

After you see the play

Look at several Peanuts comic strips to familiarize yourself with the characters. How many other characters are in Peanuts that are not in the musical, You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown?

Look on a map and find the locations of: New York City, where You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown premiered in 1967. St. Paul, Minnesota, where Charles Schulz was born and raised. Buena Park, California, where Camp Snoopy is located Montsec, France, where Snoopy is flying his "plane." Rome, Italy, where St. Valentine lived. Bonn, Germany, where Ludwig von Beethoven was born.

Do some research to find out what was going on in America in 1967 when You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown first opened. How do the themes of peace and friendship and happiness relate to what was going on in the world at that time?

Look in the Daytona Beach News-Journal for the comics page. Compare Peanuts with other comic strips. How many strips also have kids? How many feature animals?

What other kinds of comic strips can you find in the newspaper? Look for political cartoons and one-panel humor cartoons.

Just as each Peanuts character has their own unique characteristics so, too, do you. Which character are you like?

Charlie Brown, who never sees anything go his way, is sometimes shy, but optimistic?
Lucy, who is crabby and a know-it-all, and isn't afraid to be bold?
Schroeder who is quiet and reserved, and very artistic?
Linus who is smart, a great problem solver?
Snoopy who is good at just about everything, imaginative, and a good kisser?
Patty who is a good friend to everyone?

The cast sings a wonderful song called "Happiness" and sing about all the things that make them happy. Make a list of all the things that make you happy. Are they things that you experience every day, or special things that happen every once in awhile?

In the play, Lucy makes things up, like how grass grows, and what a fir tree is. Why do you think people make up stories? Are they lies or are they legends? How do you think legends begin?

Linus has always carried his security blanket with him wherever he goes. Usually we get our security blankets when we are babies, and they remind us of complete safety and no worries. Why do you think Linus has to have his blanket with him all the time? What other things do we do to feel safe?

Even though Snoopy communicates to the other characters, he doesn't actually talk to humans. Does your pet, or any other animal you know, communicate to you? If so, how?

Taking care of a pet is a big responsibility. Pets have to be fed, groomed, taken for check-ups, and most importantly, loved. Charlie Brown has to make sure that Snoopy is well taken care of, or else Snoopy will complain. How does Snoopy react to not being fed? What does Snoopy do when he gets his food dish?

Word Find

Find These Words: Blanket, Ludwig (von Beethoven), Charles Schulz, Patty, Charlie Brown, Peanuts, Happiness, Red Baron, Julia Truilo (director), Schroeder, Linus, St. Valentine, Lucy Van Pelt

Especially for Students...

In live theatre, unlike movies and television, the actors can hear (and often see) you as easily as you can hear and see them. If you comment out loud at a live show, or read or eat, you disturb not only other members of the audience but also the people on stage, thus diminishing the performance and, ultimately, your enjoyment of it.

This doesn't mean you have to remain silent. Actors want you to respond with laughter and applause; but such responses should always be genuine and appropriate to the moment. Such inconsiderate behavior as shouting, catcalling or sustained whispering, even during blackouts, can ruin the concentration of actors and audience members alike. And throwing paper or objects of any kind towards the stage is not only rude, it's also extremely dangerous to the performers.

In the event of any student misbehavior, the relevant school will be contacted and its principal informed.

We want you to enjoy your visit to Seaside Music Theater, and we rely on you to exercise your common sense and mature judgment. Thank you for being a valuable part of our audience this season.