Fairfax Players Premiere Their Spin on 'Charlie Brown' Friday Night

Editor's Note: Written by George Mason Unversity student Mariam Aburdeineh.

Those young – and young at heart – can recognize his bald, round-headed silhouette almost instantly. Even more iconic is his sunshine-yellow shirt with its horizontal black zigzag. He’s Charlie Brown, and this weekend he and the rest of the “Peanuts” crew will appear on stage for Fairfax High’s musical, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.”

The play is based on the classic “Peanuts” characters by Charles Schulz and presents a typical day in the life of Charlie Brown. At school, he makes a fool of himself in front of a little redheaded girl, works on a book report, and is the only one not to get any valentines on Valentine’s Day.

Like the comics, this childlike show has depth to it.

“It shows how to children everything is always the worst catastrophe in the world and also how resilient they are bouncing back from it,” said director Wendy Knight.

Charlie Brown is played by senior Shakil Azizi, who described Charlie Brown as having a unique elegance in the simplicity of his character.

“He’s your average Joe, but in some sense I think he’s more than that,” Azizi said.

While being a caring friend, Azizi said, Charlie Brown is genuine yet gullible.

“A guy who can trust a lot of people could be weak, but [Charlie Brown] loves almost everyone he trusts and he takes pride in things he does,” he said.

The musical casts a spotlight on the lives of children. But it isn’t just for kids.

“Grandparents will remember it from their childhood and then little kids who are just discovering Charlie Brown and Snoopy—they’re going to love it, too—it unites the generations and brings everybody together,” Knight said.

Adding a spin on this classic tale all comes down to the casting. Snoopy, a role normally played by a male, is here taken on by senior Deanna Payne, who Knight described as a phenomenal singer and a great performer.

“There’s a lot you can do with Snoopy,” Payne said. “One time he’ll be very sarcastic, the next he’ll be happy-go-lucky, so it’s fun to play those different levels and I’m interested to see what the audience’s reaction will be to what I bring forth.”

Another stand-out performer, senior Isabelle Baucum, plays Lucy.

“I think people are really going to enjoy what she’s doing with the character,” Knight said. “Her comic timing is a little bit different than everybody else’s – that’s what makes it so much funnier – you don’t expect it to come out quite the way it does.”

Asked about her timing, Baucum said she didn’t specifically craft it for Lucy.

“I happen to have a lot of people in my life who are brilliantly funny, and I pulled inspiration from their quirks and habits,” Baucum said. “I would say my timing comes from me being naturally observant.”

The cast also exhibits strong on-stage chemistry.

“I’m close personal friends with much of the cast and the relationships that my character has with all the others mirror, in some way or another, an element of our real-life relationship,” Baucum said. “So interactions on stage can be made much more natural and rich with that foundation of truth that inspire them.”

Kirsten Boyd, the show’s music director, is also part of this camaraderie.

“This is her first time coming on to do music direction with us, and the kids are already begging me to have her back for the next show and the show after that and the show after that,” Knight said, adding that Boyd and the cast did Zumba together before rehearsal.

The show premieres Feb. 8 at 7:30 p.m. and repeats on Feb. 9 at 11 a.m., at 7:30 p.m., and Feb. 10 at 2 p.m. Those ordering online at http://www.fxplayers.org/ can purchase tickets at $10 for adults and $8 for children. At the door, tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for children. Children under 5 are free.

The on-stage excitement doesn’t stop this weekend. Fans can look forward to Fairfax High’s production of “Hello, Dolly!” which opens the beginning of May.