Age of The Nerd
Just in time for the Holiday season, Everyone’s favorite Peanuts television special was brought to life on stage at the Kimmel Center’s Merriam Theater in downtown Philadelphia on December 20th for the first of three shows throughout the weekend.
Bringing A Charlie Brown Christmas to a new life with a well-rounded cast that included Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts characters, well that is with the exception of one character a lot of fans grew to love that was forgotten about during this play and that is Snoopy’s small best friend and sidekick, Woodstock.
A Charlie Brown Christmas is one of the most popular animated christmas shows in history warming hearts globally year after year but this year bringing it to a new life within a performance play for three-shows at Philadelphia’s beautiful Merriam Theater inside of the Kimmel Center. The play showcased the magic of Christmas and the journey that Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends took to uncover the true meaning of Christmas.
This live stage adaptation of the play was spectacular, that is with the exception of a missing character during the show, who maybe doesn’t have a big part in the show but Peanuts fans know he is always there beside Snoopy, Woodstock, Snoopy’s best friend and sidekick. We overlooked the missing character but without him it just didn’t seem right as when you think of Snoopy, you always think of his little yellow bird friend beside him and that wasn’t the case during this show.
The cast was very well rounded throughout the show, with stunning visuals and impeccable vocals for the sing-a-long parts of the show, but the production lacked which was upsetting but that didn’t dampen the show as the cast held the crowd’s attention with their picture-perfect acting skills and singing voices. There were many handmade props to accompany the show including Snoopy’s red doghouse along with costumes, plastic wigs and fake snow made out of white circular paper, which is very interesting as during the end of the show it seemed as if there was an actual snow machine sitting above the stage all night that was only used during the encore which should’ve been used during the actual show to make it that much better. The visuals were made from projectors but bringing the projected visuals to life with some props but not many.
The cast’s costumes were pretty spot on when it comes to their looks, and the actors and actresses of the characters couldn’t have been better choices to perfectly fit the portrayed character.
The play did encompass some of everyone’s favorite scenes from the original animated Peanuts television show however but with some more interactive fun and more music to really gets family and friends into the Christmas spirit. Ending with a musical celebration as the cast invited the audience to join the Peanuts gang in singing some traditional Christmas songs and carols after some final bows.
The cast did a great job at bringing the show to life despite the lack of production, even making the classic Vince Guaraldi musical scores sound fabulous with each of their unique vocals and acting talents. The play made for an evening of memories with family and friends and is the perfect addition to your never ending holiday to do list as you will enjoy it!
A CHARLIE BROWN CHRISTMAS LIVE ON STAGE
Kimmel Center Cultural Campus’ Merriam Theater
December 21, 2019, 1:30 p.m. & 5:00 p.m.
Tickets are on sale now starting at $33.00. Tickets can be purchased by calling 215-893-1999, online at www.kimmelcenter.org, or at the Kimmel Center Box Office. See www.kimmelcenter.org for more information.
