“You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” June 4 through 13

Friday, June 4, through Sunday, June 13

The Spotlight Theatre, 1800 Seventh Avenue, Moline IL

Staging its first full Broadway musical in more than a year, Moline's Spotlight Theatre will house a can't-miss crowd-pleaser from June 4 through 13 in You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown, the Tony Award-winning reunion for Charles M. Schulz's beloved Peanuts characters that the New York Times called “a miracle,” adding that “almost everything works, because almost everything is effortless.”

Originally produced off-Broadway in 1967 before being significantly re-written for its 1999 Broadway revival, Charles Schulz’s beloved comic strip comes to life in Clark Gesner’s classic musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. All of your beloved favorites are here: bossy Lucy is hopelessly in love with piano prodigy Schroeder, who doesn’t give her the time of day; perfectionist Sally is still mocking blanket-toting Linus, Snoopy is in the doghouse; and the eternal “blockhead” himself, Charlie Brown, is in rare form. Brief vignettes in the show span the months from Valentine’s Day to Beethoven Day, following the characters' journeys from wild optimism to utter despair. In this revised version, with additional music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa and dialogue by Michael Mayer, the sweet, joyful innocence of the Peanuts gang is maintained, but a newly fresh insouciance and playfulness is revealed. The updated script features two new songs, particularly funny dialogue, and thoroughly catchy orchestrations, and whether you’re keen to fly with the Red Baron, moon over the Moonlight Sonata, or just do your best to find “Happiness,” You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown has proven itself a crowd-pleasing classic for audiences of all ages.

Directing You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is Spotlight Theatre co-founder and -owner Brent Tubbs, who previously helmed The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (abridged) [revised], Big: The Musical, and A Gentleman's Guide to Love & Murder for the venue, and who has also been a frequent performer and designer for the company. With Charlie Brown played by Noah Hill (Augustana College's Noises Off, the Mississippi Bend Players' Dames at Sea), the show's other five principal Peanuts characters are all played by Spotlight veterans: Amelia Fischer (Complete Works...) as Lucy, Gary Mayfield (The Happy Elf) as Linus, Adam Sanders (The Hunchback of Notre Dame) as Schroeder, Bethany Sanders (A Night of Disney) as Sally, and Ian Sodawasser (Big: The Musical) as Snoopy. And with the musical's ensemble composed of Molly Ahern, Brenna Hampton, Bella Kuta, Taylor Tubbs, Elena Vallejo, Keegan Walker, and Rachel Winter, the production staff includes music director Mason Moss, choreographer Becca Johnson, costume designer Alexis Lotspeich, stage manager Izzy Garcia, and wig wrangler Taylor Tubbs.

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown will be presented June 4 through 13 with performances at 7 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. on Sundays. Social-distancing measures will be in place, admission is $20-25, and more information and tickets are available by calling (309)912-7647 or visiting TheSpotlightTheatreQC.com.