"Beethoven Day" Performance(Sweeeet!)

[SSLFan]

Have you ever heard of the musical "Your'e A Good Man Charlie Brown?" I've heard about it but never seen it. There's been clips posted on Youtube, and I saw the most AWSOME performance yet! It's from the 1999 Broadway cast I belive, and they're seen performing on the Rosie O'Donell show. The guy who plays Schroder has the most brilliant voice, and the choeography is excellent as well.

Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWeQvY3jQaU



And there was also a television special based on the musical. Another one of my favorite songs is seen here.

You know the funny thing is, that while I don't remember even watching the tv special, I remember seeing that song on Nick@ Nite!

 

[SSLFan]

so, ummm...any comments YET?

 

[theprawncracker]

so, ummm...any comments YET?

Confusius say... Patience is a virtue, dear fan of SSL.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

Ok, the thing whee Snoopy talked totally creped me out! *shutters*

 

[CensoredAlso]

You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is an awesome musical! I remember the cartoon version and I own the CD of the most recent Broadway production. I really want to find an album or CD of the original cast.

You know I always remember Snoopy talking in the specials so it was never weird to me, lol.

"You're a good man, Charlie Brown, you're the kind of reminder we need. You have humility, nobility and a sense of honor that is very rare indeed.

You're a good man, Charlie Brown, you're a prince and a prince could be king. With a heart such as yours, you can open any doors, you can know how to do anything. You could be king, Charlie Brown! You could be king....if only you weren't so wishy washy!"

 

[Ilikemuppets]

He just doesn't work thinking in the manor the Garfield does to me...

 

[CensoredAlso]

Actually Roger Bart, the actor who played Snoopy in the 1999 Broadway musical, said Snoopy talking was strange for him too because he'd grown up with A Charlie Brown Christmas etc, where Snoopy never spoke.

 

[Ilikemuppets]

I have to admit that it was so out of the blue for me, heh! But I guess it works for some people.

 

[Winslow Leach]

I had the pleasure of appearing in You're a Good Man Charlie Brown as Schroeder. I would have to say it was hands-down the best show I have ever been involved in (that's rare coming from me...I'm very harsh on myself when it comes to productions I've been in).

It's a great little show. Unlike the Broadway revival, the original can be staged with very simple props and a single piano. That's why it's been a favorite of schools, churches and community centers for years. Plus, it's a clean, wholesome, positive show, filled with the warm humor of Charles Schulz.

The show opened off-Broadway in 1966 with Gary Burghoff as Charlie Brown and Skip Hinnant (from The Electric Company) as Schroeder. Snoopy is really the show-stealer, as he often is, and has a few very memorable show-stoppers (including "Suppertime," "The Red Baron," and "Isn't It Wonderful"). The role can be played by either a guy or girl (it was a girl in our production).

The revival is actually quite different than the original. For one thing, there are additional songs, including the title of this thread, "Beethoven Day." Some of the little blackout sketches have been cut in favor of different ones; and the character of Patty (not Peppermint Patty, who isn't in either version of the show) is dropped, replaced by Sally.

The orchestrations in the revival are much more elaborate and brassier than the simplicity of the original, and the sets are more extreme.

There is a cast album of the original show on CD, but it actually differs from the vinyl version. I got the LP used at a library sale, when they were getting rid of their record collection. I compared the two, and while the cast and orchestration is the same, the singing is a bit different...the CD may have been an alternate session, or maybe outtakes from the original cast album...or the LP may have been from a "lesser" session, with the CD the preferred choice. Not sure about that one.