Eventide Cozies Up To ‘You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown’

Happiness is cozy Cape Cod theaters. Happiness is friends and a close-knit community. Happiness is “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at the Eventide Theatre Company. 

On Nov. 6, the company started its 2025-2026 season with a production of “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown” directed by Madison Mayer, who also did the choreography, and Zach Johnson, who also did the music direction. The entirety of the production was a sprawling tornado of cute comedic revelry that absorbs the audience into the world crafted by the late Charles M. Schultz as easily as if it were Christmas afternoon and you were gathering on the couch with your cousins, about to watch a Peanuts special.

Stepping into the room that houses the Gertrude Lawrence Stage at the Dennis Union Church certainly eases the suspension of disbelief. The singular set is a massive bright blue sunny day, complete with a tall tree and mailbox stage left and the iconic red doghouse prominently established stage right. Even the floor is painted a leafy verdant green that works to connect each feature of the set, synthesizing the comic strip so many people know and love.

The plot of the musical, which was helmed by Charles Gesner and initially began off-Broadway in 1967, is quite simple. It’s an average day in the life of Charlie Brown. And, as you would expect, he’s in the midst of a conundrum.

The play opens with Charlie Brown, played by Mickey Olsen, and Linus, played by Brendan Dias Da Costa, center stage against a spot, establishing the tone immediately. Linus is comforting his friend, letting him know that “science has proven that a person’s character isn’t really established until he’s at least five years old.” The statement prompts Charlie Brown to anxiously retort, “But I am five. I’m more than five,” allowing Linus’ quick response, “Oh, well, that’s the way it goes,” sending our protagonist into a fit of comic anxiety. The back and forth was perfectly played by Olsen and Dias Da Costa, and establishes the mood for the night. Olsen plays Charlie Brown with a Woody Allen-esque indecision, perpetually teetering on the brink of bursting into action or imploding into himself. Dias Da Costa’s quick-witted delivery, and on point lisp, blended naturally and had the audience laughing routinely.

Very quickly the rest of the characters are introduced. Next up was Sally, played with the requisite amount of pluck by Emma Engelsen. She, in the spot vacated by Olsen and Dias Da Costa, gets her turn and lambasts her older brother, telling everything that is wrong with him, “his stupidity, his clumsiness, his inferiority and his lack of confidence. His…” only to have the score cut and the spot drop and the refrain of “You’re a good man, Charlie Brown” ring throughout again. The line delivery was immaculate — and she didn’t miss a beat throughout the night, playing the prodding little sister to a tee.

After Sally’s moment in the opening came Schroder, played by Connor McLeod. Tall in Schroder’s purple/grey horizontal stripes, he tells the audience of all the things Charlie Brown hasn’t done. He hasn’t pitched a winning baseball game, been able to keep a kite in the air, win a game of checkers, or successfully punt a football. After a pause, he remarks, “Sometimes I marvel at his consistency.” The one-liner drew a strong laugh. McLeod brought a duality to Schroder that was enjoyable, encapsulating the sensitive child and seemingly tortured artist with aplomb.

Next up was the rock star. Snoopy, played by Charlotte Baxter, had the smallest amount of opening dialogue, but it was undoubtedly true to character. Atop the doghouse, crosslegged, Snoopy remarks, “It is truly a dog’s life. Filled with many challenges. You try acting excited when that round-headed kid comes home from school.” Baxter’s winking delivery was a highlight of the night. Her role was far more physical than much of the main cast, from fighting the red baron to contemplating her place in life to waiting for that kid with the yellow shirt at suppertime, all of it worked because she worked the stage — leg kicks, machine gun mimicry, and a full jazz number. She played the icon iconically.

The last of the main cast, and certainly not least, was our Lucy, played by Brynn Grambow. Her time to shine focused on detailing Charlie Brown’s “failure face.” It featured a meticulous description of the deep lines of his face and his “dull, vacant eyes.” The entirety of the night, Grambow played the preening, prone-to-rage Lucy as if it were one of the cartoons. She controlled the room, like Lucy would, anytime she was on the stage, acting as the classic foil yet featuring a surprising amount of heart and introspective consideration.

After the opening number we are thrust into the day of Charlie Brown, hopelessly pining over the red-haired girl at school throughout multiple locations (school, the baseball game, choir, among others). Each character comes in and out of his life with their own problems, their own opinions, and their own undeniable irreverent mania. Each character in the ensemble, throughout either act, has their own song that fully conveys what they’re going through. All of it was delightful. 

If I had to pick a favorite song, “My Blanket and Me” was very much the fun kind of weird. What starts off as Linus protesting that he doesn’t need his blanket eventually crumbles as he delivers a speech in song that ends up becoming a dance number with a brought-to-life blanket played by Teddy Bonwit. It was goofy and heartfelt, and it’s been making me chuckle ever since I saw it. “Suppertime” and “The Book Report” are close seconds. 

 “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” was a fun night out that ended with far more warmth than I expected. Following our lead to his eventual realization, paired with the full company ending number “Happiness,” pays off. The juxtaposition of our adult peanuts with the Junior Peanuts (Bonwit, Bailey Brazil, Blake Brazil, Wes Foster, Mae Dower, and Zoey Spitz) brings the natural catharsis that any good show needs. 

The next production of Eventide Theatre Company will be “Almost, Maine” by John Cariani and directed by Mark Bishop running Feb. 20 to March 1.