Find the Wonder Again with SNAPA’s ‘Charlie Brown’
(Post sponsored by Tinsley Title, Holt Wrecker, R&R lawn specialists, Gibson Pharmacy.)
By Michael V. Hannigan
SNAPA has the antidote for a cynical season
“A Charlie Brown Christmas” opens Friday, Dec. 12, at Stage Notes Academy of Performing Arts. The classic television special comes to the stage with two talented children’s casts who bring joy and innocence to a season that can be difficult for a lot of people.
Sixty years ago this week, Linus said, “Charlie Brown, you’re the only person I know who can take a wonderful season like Christmas and turn it into a problem.”
He was wrong.
We all do that sometimes. We notice the stress and focus on what’s missing instead of the wonder of Christmas.
But try holding on to that gloom while Snoopy and the Peanuts gang turn the SNAPA stage into an ice-covered pond. You won’t. Instead, you’ll remember catching snowflakes on your tongue. You’ll be taken back to sitting on the floor of your childhood living room, knowing that scrawny tree would turn beautiful, even if you didn’t quite know how.
These two casts, ages 7 to 14, offer a gift more real than Netflix and chill. We used to call it the yuletide spirit.
And we could use a little more of that right now.
This family event includes time with Santa and Mrs. Claus, and a Christmas Carol sing-a-long. The Sugar Plum Cast will perform Friday, Dec. 12, at 7 p.m., Sunday, Dec. 14, at 3 p.m., and Saturday, Dec. 20, at 7 p.m. The Peppermint Cast will perform Saturday, Dec. 13, at 7 p.m., Friday, Dec. 19, at 7 p.m., and Sunday, Dec. 21, at 3 p.m. Tickets are available online here.
The production is directed by Karen Holmes and Lindsey Underhill, and the stage manager is Kim Pochobradsky. These three ladies do an amazing job of channeling all that childhood energy into a performance that revisits the spirit of the original.
The casts include:
Peppermint Cast
Charlie Brown – Camden Shields
Snoopy – Mariah Niswonger
Lucy – Kyleigh Underhill
Linus – Brent Kell
Pig Pen – Katie Pochobradszky
Frieda – Alexa Gardner
Schroeder – Sam Tyler
Violet – Rainey Caudill
Sally – Keira Bairfeld
Patty – Vada Edinbyrd
Shermy – Bentlee Warren
Sugar Plum Cast
Charlie Brown – Graham David
Snoopy – Mariah Niswonger
Lucy – Claire David
Linus – Eli Rinehart
Pig Pen – Eleanor Cannon
Frieda – Eilidh Engdahl
Schroeder – Zane Bairfeld
Violet – Rowynn Diamond
Sally – Anna Pochobradszky
Patty – Morgan Bourland
Shermy – Meadow Lang