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About Baker City herald. (Baker City, Or.) 1990-current | View Entire Issue (July 21, 2022)
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. Support Crossroads — Your Community Art Center 2020 Auburn Avenue Baker City, Oregon 541.523.5369 Crossroads is open Monday - Saturday 10:00am - 5:00pm Gallery • Classes • Special Events Visit www.crossroads-arts.org to become a member. 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.
