Everyone’s favorite holiday classic comes to life in the all-new stage adaptation! Join Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the whole Peanuts gang as they produce their own Christmas play and ultimately learn the true meaning of the season. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a present the whole family can enjoy!
Adapted from Charles M. Schulz’s timeless story, this holiday treat features the unforgettable music of Vince Guaraldi, as well as beloved holiday carols performed by the Peanuts characters. There’s no better way to discover the magic of the season!
“I was excited to direct this show because of the honesty and directness of the story and the positive and uplifting message,” said director James McHale. “It’s important to tell stories about acceptance and goodwill. One of the reasons Schultz’ Christmas Special was such a hit (despite the producers being positive that it would flop) was because he spoke directly to feelings so many people relate to during the holidays. Despite it being a time that’s supposed to be filled with cheer, Charlie Brown feels disillusioned by the commercialism of the holiday, something many of us can feel from time to time. And it’s not until his community show him real kindness and goodwill that he finally finds that Christmas spirit he was looking for.”
But… how do you put a TV special onstage? “I wanted to find a unique approach for bringing this story to the stage,” McHale continues. “When I watched the cartoon I loved the quirkiness of the characters’ movements — the way they bounced when they walked — and the stilted very two-dimensional life they had on screen. We aimed to bring that oddness to life with a unique and bold physicality by the actors. The goal of the production design was to make the show feel as much like a cartoon as possible. Rather than seeing a fully realized version of Lucy’s psychiatry booth, let’s see a flat, two-dimensional version that comes out of nowhere, almost like a children’s pop up book. Let’s transform the space and surprise the audience in a very theatrical way.”
Check out the production photos below, and don’t miss this holiday classic playing thru December 29th. Hurry, tickets are selling fast!
Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown and Juston Gonzalez-Rodholm as Linus in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Laura M. Hathaway as Lucy and Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown and Juston Gonzalez-Rodholm as Linus in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Dimithri Perera as Snoopy and Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Christopher Diem as Schroeder and Laura M. Hathaway as Lucy in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Dimithri Perera as Snoopy, Hannah Schill as Violet, Juston Gonzalez-Rodholm as Linus, and Laura M. Hathaway as Lucy in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown, Nathan Shube as Pig Pen, and Jennifer Noce as Frieda in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown and Dimithri Perera as Snoopy in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Hannah Schill as Violet and Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Laura M. Hathaway as Lucy, Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown, and Hannah Schill as Violet in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
Shai Culver as Sally and Matt Takahashi as Charlie Brown in “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” playing through December 29th on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
The cast and crew of “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” which plays thru December 29 on the Fyda-Mar Stage at the Bette Aitken theater arts Center.
Photo by Doug Catiller, True Image Studio.
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