8
BEHIND THE SCENES
JULY 2027, 2022
FROM THE
COVER
The ‘Peanuts’ gang is all here
‘You’re a Good Man,
Charlie Brown’ plays
July 29-30
By Jennifer Colton
Go! Magazine
ELGIN — Characters step out of the
comics and onto the stage in “You’re a
Good Man, Charlie Brown,” playing July
29 and 30 at the Elgin Opera House, 104
N. Eighth Ave.
Based on the “Peanuts” comic strip by
Charles M. Schulz, “You’re a Good Man,
Charlie Brown” is a high-energy Broadway
musical following a day in the life of Char-
lie Brown. The production takes place in
a series of connected vignettes, just like
the Peanuts comic strip, and the entire
stage at the Elgin Opera House has been
painted to heighten the eff ect.
“It’s like opening the newspaper and
reading the comic strips,” Abby Hale said.
“It’s a really fun show.”
Hale, 19, portrays Charlie Brown’s
charismatic beagle, Snoopy, alongside
15-year-old Grant Deem as the title char-
acter.
“Charlie Brown is a really fun character
to play,” Deem said. “He’s a really defi ned
character — it’s both more work and less
‘YOU’RE A GOOD MAN,
CHARLIE BROWN’
Friday, July 29: 2:30 p.m.
Saturday, July 30: 12:30 and 4:30 p.m.
Tickets: $20 at www.elginoperahouse.
com
Jennifer Colton/Go! Magazine
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”
features a full cast, plus youth from the
Elgin Opera House’s annual summer
theater camp.
Jennifer Colton/Go! Magazine
Grant Deem plays the title character in
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” at the
Elgin Opera House, which plays July 29
and 30.
work. (The show is) very authentic to the
original source material.”
Rounding out the familiar names of
the primary cast are Lucy (Anna Buckley),
Schroeder (Oliver Gorham), Linus (Isaac
Morgan) and Sally (Kaylee Davis).
“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” will
also feature youth from the Elgin Opera
House annual summer camp for a total
cast of more than 80 children and teenag-
ers. Although the campers will learn a
dance during the week before the show
opens, the core cast and lead ensemble
have been rehearsing most of the sum-
mer to prepare for the full production.
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Making his stage debut, Gorham, 13,
said the process has been surreal.
“The lines are pretty tough, learning a
whole monologue, but it’s a great experi-
ence,” he said.
While Gorham said he can connect
with Schroeder through a love of music —
Gorham plays three instruments — other
actors have less in common with their
characters. As Lucy, Buckley, 16, spends
much of her time tormenting Charlie
Brown.
“I like that I get to be really mean. I’m
not like that at all,” she said.
The musical includes 14 songs, some
of which have advanced choreography.
In addition to playing Snoopy, Hale is also
the show’s choreographer. She said au-
dience members who have seen Charlie
Brown videos may recognize some of the
dance moves.