Baseball Season Opens with the Peanuts Team
Reviewed by Mary Alderson
Charles Schultz produced new Peanuts comic strips for newspapers each day from 1950 to 2000. He also created longer cartoon stories for the “Funny Papers” that came out in colour on weekends. So you had a 50 year stretch to appreciate the delight that is Peanuts. And today, the reruns are still in print, or available in book form and online. If you’ve lived in this world anytime since 1950, you must know Charlie Brown and his so-called friends. And to know the Peanuts gang is to love them.
This season’s opener at Port Hope’s Capitol Theatre is You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the endearing musical featuring the Peanuts team. It’s a simple and sweet musical that first opened off-Broadway and in Toronto in 1967, making its way to Broadway in 1971. Then it enjoyed a Broadway revival in 1998, where many updates and changes were made to the script and songs. In particular, Peppermint Patty was dropped, and Sally was added.
There is no plot per se, but instead, like the comic strip itself, the musical features a series of vignettes in the lives of Charlie Brown, his little sister, Sally; his nemesis, Lucy; her little brother, Linus; a piano player, Schroeder; and Charlie Brown’s unusual beagle, Snoopy. Charlie is the sweet, little, round-headed boy, who often gets handed the short end of the stick in life.
Amir Haidar plays that role perfectly – his Charlie Brown is often sad, often frustrated, and no one understands him. He is a delight singing “The Kite”, thrilled when the kite flies in the air, but of course it has to come crashing down. Matt Pilipiak provides the laughs as Snoopy. In particular, I enjoyed his “Red Baron” number. A.P. Bautista is the angry, bossy Lucy, but then shows a moment of kindness with her 5 cent psychiatric advice as she attempts to help Charlie Brown, and the two of them sing “The Doctor is In”.
Kyle Golemba is perfect as Schroeder, pounding out Beethoven on his toy piano. His reaction to Lucy as she flirts with him in the song “Schroeder” is hilarious, as are his expressions when trying to lead the group in singing in the “Glee Club Rehearsal”. Ben Kopp is a charming as Linus, singing “My Blanket and Me”. Jillian Mitsuko Cooper as Sally sings “My New Philosophy” with gusto and hilarity.
My junior reviewer, 6-year-old granddaughter Hazel, liked Charlie Brown’s kite flying and Snoopy’s “Suppertime” number. As a t-ball player herself, she paid rapt attention to the full cast with their choreography in “TEAM The Baseball Game.” She also gives top marks to the Capitol’s popcorn.
The set is well done, with the clouds in the sky matching the Capitol’s overhead clouds. Snoopy’s big red dog house is perfect, as it allows him to dance on the roof, or turn it into a World War I Sopwith Camel airplane, suitable for the flying ace that he is.
When the show concludes with “Happiness is…”, one becomes a little nostalgic for all the fun that the Peanuts’ cartoons and comic strips provided over the years. It’s nice to have this sweet musical to remind us.
One little concern: I hope the program for this season opener isn’t the format they are going to follow for the rest of year. While it features photos of the cast and creative team, there are no bios or previous credits listed. Reading about the performers and creators is the main incentive to get seated early!
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown continues at the Capitol Theatre in Port Hope until May 31, 2026. Tickets are available at the box office by calling 905-885-1071 or visiting https://capitoltheatre.com/
Photo: The ensemble of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. Photo by Sam Moffat.
You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown
Book, Music and Lyrics by Clark Gesner
Additional Dialogue by Michael Mayer
Additional Music and Lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Directed & Choreographed by Rob Kempson
Music Direction by Shane O’Regan
Featuring AP Bautista, Jillian Mitsuko Cooper, Kyle Golemba, Amir Haidar, Ben Kopp & Matt Pilipiak.
Capitol Theatre, Queen Street, Port Hope
May 15 to 31, 2026
Reviewed by Mary Alderson