Peanuts Cast Entertains SABA Audiences at Angelo Civic Theatre

San Angeloans witnessed Lucy van Pelt eat a long-overdue serving of humble pie over the weekend, when she admitted on stage at the Angelo Civic Theatre just how crabby she really is.

Played by Katelyn Sarbach, Lucy, along with five other Peanuts characters, opened the fall season for the San Angelo Broadway Academy (SABA) on Friday night at 7:30 with a small-cast showing of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

The cast of six portrayed different aspects of their characters’ lives, from Sally’s (Alicia Cornwell) grades, to Charlie Brown’s (Reagan Oaks) crush on the little red-headed girl, and Linus’ (Ben Settle) addiction to his ‘blankey.’ Even Snoopy (Brandi Brown) had a few moments in the spotlight over the weekend, and one might expect that Schroeder (Michael Garza) composed the music for the whole thing.

The production was a bit unusual for SABA. Normally, the fall shows are put on at the coliseum, and each features 75-80 actors. This year, they’ve split the season into two different showings with smaller casts. Charlie Brown was the first of the season.

“We picked Charlie Brown because it’s kind of an all-time favorite for so many people, no matter how old you are,” SABA Founding Executive Director Angela Hill said.

And although the cast is small, Hill praises the work the cast has done.

“This musical is very difficult,” Hill says. “Charlie Brown is usually performed by adults. They learned their music in only six weeks meeting once or twice a week, so they really worked hard on their own and with their music instructor.”

The cast of Charlie Brown are all high school students, and the music in the piece contains several difficult five-part harmonies, acapella parts and rows, as well as multiple lengthy monologues.

Despite the difficulty of the piece, Hill is confident that they are up to the challenge.

“What’s great about this cast…is the six that were cast, they’re really great friends outside of SABA. So they’re very bonded on stage and you can see that chemistry between them,” Hill said.

That bond was not only apparent on stage, but helped make a connection to bridge the gap between the actors and the audience.

“The show talks about fun things like sibling rivalry and Valentine’s Day when they have their first crush, so with our actors acting like kids on stage, it’s been real fun to watch them [kids in the audience] react to them.”

Hill mentions that the show isn’t just one for the kids, however. Even adults have shared in laughs at the bits of grown-up humor, and each song on Sunday’s nearly-full matinee was followed by rounds of applause and even cheers.

“Charlie Brown is just an all-around, good family-oriented production,” Hill said.

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” ran from Oct. 10-13 at the Angelo Civic Theatre. The next production, “My Son Pinocchio,” has already been cast.

For show times or information on the San Angelo Broadway Academy, visit the website at: http://www.sabroadwayacademy.org/  The next round of auditions will take place in January for Shrek, and is open to children ages 8-18. To speak with a SABA representative, contact 325-763-4807