Lynn Hodge
Special to the Record
Courtenay Little Theatre is returning to the Sid Williams Theatre this Christmas season with another wonderful family show, 鈥榊ou鈥檙e a Good Man, Charlie Brown,鈥� Dec. 26-31.
This crowd-pleasing musical classic, based on the beloved Charles Schulz鈥檚 characters from the Peanuts comic strip, will have you believe that you have run into your old friends. They continue to be full of insecurities, doubts and questions, just like we all are. Charlie Brown and his friends are sincere characters that any generation can relate to. Lucy is still bossy and in love with piano-playing Schroeder. Sally is still a perfectionist mocking Linus and his ever-present blanket. Charlie Brown is still trying to understand the world with his pal Snoopy.
At the helm of this CLT production, Susan Bradshaw and Denise Marquette (with the help of pianist Dagmar Kilian and stage manager Phyllis Katcher) have banded together again to work their magic. Remember 鈥業t鈥檚 a Wonderful Life鈥�?
鈥榊ou鈥檙e a Good Man Charlie Brown鈥� will certainly be another successful family Christmas treat for your whole family.
What is it about theatre that draws people together into this special community? Director Bradshaw passionately talks about the full embrace of creative amazing people. Musical Director Marquette speaks of the inclusiveness of music and the heartfelt connections.
CLT welcomes a contingent of crew and cast from Campbell River. Bradshaw has brought along her assistant stage manager Denise Comeau-Darnell (a past artistic director of Shoreline Musical Theatre Society - SMTS). Halle Wayler (Snoopy) and Ryver Santos-Cegnar (Schroeder) are both graduates of Timberline鈥檚 Musical Theatre and SMTS. These two actors are thrilled to be part of this production, saying that the Comox Valley theatre community, just like the Campbell River theatre community, offers such great opportunities and a special energy.
鈥榊ou鈥檙e a Good Man Charlie Brown鈥� has brought together a cast of new and old faces. Erin Foster, playing Sally Brown, returns to the Valley from a successful professional career in Vancouver where she performed in Theatre Under the Stars (lead in Hairspray) and produced over 30 shows for Geekenders the last 12 years.
Ross Foster plays Charlie Brown, his favourite role ever. He recently moved to Courtenay with wife Erin and talked about belonging and the very real connections through theatre.
鈥淚t feels like I鈥檓 home鈥�, he said passionately.
Foster鈥檚 intimate knowledge of this musical helps him bring Charlie Brown to life.
Newcomer Jessica Wegg (Lucy), from Calgary, grew up singing in church and choirs and immediately felt welcomed by CLT.
鈥淭here鈥檚 something unique about the joy people experience here 鈥� it鈥檚 instant love.鈥�
Playing her brother Linus, Nikolas Andrei Young Strilets is the youngest cast member but comes with valuable musical experience from Little Mermaid (CLT鈥檚 2019 Christmas show) and years of working on productions with Comox Valley Youth Music Centre and Rainbow Youth Theatre.
This Christmas season, bring back memories with some old friends or make some new ones. 鈥榊ou鈥檙e a Good Man Charlie Brown鈥� is family entertainment at its best.
All tickets are $28 for any of the following shows: Dec. 26 and 31 at 2 p.m. and December 27-30 at 7:30 p.m. Reserve your tickets online at or call 250 338-2430. Courtenay. All COVID-19 safety guidelines are in place in the theatre.
