'Charlie Brown' opens in Des Plaines

Footlighters Theatre Company will stage “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” in the round Friday, Nov. 12, through Dec. 4 at Prairie Lakes Community Theater, 515 E. Thacker St. in Des Plaines.

The family-friendly musical comedy features the music and lyrics of Clark Gesner, based on the characters created by cartoonist Charles Schulz in his comic strip, Peanuts.

Directed by Michael McGuire, “You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown” features an ensemble of six, including Jose Alfredo Guerro as Linus, Alan Kinsley as Schroeder, Christopher R. McGuire as Charlie Brown, Andy Shaw as Snoopy, Megan Soberski as Lucy and Meghan Warren as Sally.

The action takes place in an average day in the life of 6-year-old Charlie Brown, and his good friends, who struggle through a day of childhood dilemmas including book reports, baseball games, kite flying and puppy love.

The musical is a series of vignettes that uses a combination of monologues and short scenes to set up the individual character's musical numbers.

This is the first Footlighters Theatre production to be presented in the round at the theater.

“The small cast and the humor of the play, much of which is derived from the characters facial expressions and reactions to each other, makes Charlie Brown a perfect piece to set this way,” Director Michael McGuire said.