There is a likeable and hopeful loser, a philosophical best friend, a deceptive mean girl and a famous dog perched on top of his house.
Les Misérables this is not, but that’s hardly the point. This is the Eau Claire Children’s Theatre’s (ECCT) production of “You’re A Good Man Charlie Brown.”
“It has two new songs,” said Marek, who was one of the founding members of ECCT 22 years ago. “They went through and updated the orchestrations; made them a little more modern, a little more jazzy and they redid some of the scenes as well.”
Marek said that the play was chosen in February along with the other 16 shows of the season. This is up from the 12 that were done last year. The increase is made possible by their new building, The Oxford.
Nathan Libby, who plays Charlie Brown and is entering his last year at Immanuel Lutheran College here in Eau Claire, said that although he liked the character of Charlie Brown, he didn’t specifically try-out for the role.
“You just try out and the director gets to choose what he wants him for,” said Libby. “… I was open to doing any of the four male parts.”
Marek explained that auditions are open and that anybody, including UW-Eau Claire students, can try-out. Auditions for upcoming musicals are listed in their newsletter and on their website at www.ecct.org.
He said that students from the university frequently take part in the ECCT plays in a variety of ways.
Sophomore Nate Plummer, who plays Snoopy, is one such UW-Eau Claire student; he has now been with ECCT for 12 years.
Nate explained that the music of the show was a huge draw for him.
“The music is really fun,” he said. “It’s a very jazz-based score. A lot of the characters have their own style of music. Snoopy’s is primarily jazz.”
Libby was also a fan of the music, and thought the small amount of cast members would result in a very talented group.
Kristine Anderson, who plays Lucy, is a 2009 UW-Eau Claire graduate. Anderson said that she has acted her whole life. This is the second time that she has been in a production of this play; the first time she played Marcie. Her reasons for liking the show are nostalgic.
“Who doesn’t love Peanuts?” she said. “You always read [The Peanuts] in the Sunday papers when we’re little. How fun is it to live-out the characters you’ve always been reading? When I saw that they were doing the show in town, I jumped at the chance to do it.”
The show runs at 7:30 p.m. on Sept. 9th-11th and 1:30 p.m. on Sept. 11th-12th at The Oxford Theater.
For more information about ECCT, visit their website at www.ECCT.org.
