Mainstage Brings 'Peanuts' to Town

Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends will be in town for three days beginning April 29.

Mainstage Center for the Arts' production of Broadway family classic You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown features Gloucester Township native Kevin Hurley as Snoopy and stars Don Rider, of West Chester, PA, as everyone's favorite "blockhead," Charlie Brown.

The Blackwood-based theater group's Charlie Brown show premieres with a 10 a.m. performance on Friday, April 29, for schools and other groups.

The remaining performances will be at 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 29, and Saturday, April 30, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, May 1.

All performances will be held at the newly renovated Dennis Flyer Theater, in Lincoln Hall, on the Blackwood campus of .

The Mainstage production is directed by Gloucester Township native Billy Hart, who now calls New York City home and also plays Schroeder.

The show features 14 songs, including "The Baseball Game" and "Happiness."

The "Happiness" line "Happiness is coming home again ..." obviously has a special meaning for Hart, Hurley and other performers with Mainstage roots, including Erin Waldie of Ridley, PA, who plays Lucy; Kelly Karcher of New York, as Sally; and James Cristiano of Philadelphia, playing Linus.

All are Mainstage "Summer Stage" alumni.

"I'm really excited to be coming back to Mainstage," said Cristiano, who grew up in Washington Township. "I had such great experiences here and made some of my best friends. It will be something special to perform with my old friends. Billy Hart and I first performed together in Mainstage's production of Pinocchio 12 years ago, while Kelly Karcher and I were carpooling buddies."

"Mainstage is where I received the tools and the courage to follow my dreams," said Karcher. "It gave me the supportive environment I needed to develop confidence as a performer growing up ..."

This performance of Charlie Brown is not only special for those who are coming home—it's exciting for Mainstage leaders who get to see everyone come home.

"It's very gratifying to see the kids that have grown up here at Mainstage move on, become successful, and decide that they want to come back," Mainstage producing artistic director Ed Fiscella said. "In addition to being an enchanting, entertaining show for audiences, this one personally means a lot for the Mainstage family."

Tickets for Mainstage's April 29-May 1 run of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown cost $13 for seniors and students and $16 or $21 for adults. There are also special rates available for groups of 10 or more.

For tickets or more information on the show, call Mainstage at 856-227-3091 or visit mainstage.org.

Along with providing a fun weekend option, the Mainstage Charlie Brown production will support the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS (BC/EFA) charity, which is one of the nation’s leading industry-based, nonprofit AIDS fundraising and grant-making organizations.

Collection containers will be available for audience members who would like to support this cause and show "Charlie Brown's spirit of hopeful optimism," Hart said.

“BC/EFA is a great organization that the theater community at large has initiated, and my goal is that our community and our audiences at Mainstage will be able to donate at least $1,000," he said. "But every penny and nickel counts—just look at Lucy’s psychiatrist’s booth."