You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
milkengh
Swing Joined: 7/14/04
#0You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:19amour school is looking at doing this show in the coming year, and even though there was only a cast of 6 in the original and revival Broadway casts, has anyone ever seen this performed with a chorus at all? our director might not let us do this if we can't add more characters (even though i'd love to do it with a smaller cast). Any answers?
Te cubrire.
broadwaystar2b
Broadway Legend Joined: 3/28/04
#1re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:21am
I've been in Snoopy and YAGMCB with casts of 20
It can be done 
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#2re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:21amI once saw a staging of this where a director added a chorus of brats anda chorus of woodstocks. It is a HUGE HUGE GUHE HUGE Mistake toa dd characters/chorus/etc to this show. 6 characters. 6 roles. 6 actors. That.Is.All. Adding more is suicidal.
theatreangel
Chorus Member Joined: 11/10/04
#3re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:22amI completely agree. My high school did a production with only the six characters and it was better than any professional production I've ever seen. Then my summer camp did a production with a full ensemble and while it can be done, it was horrendous and not very enjoyable at all.
broadwayguy2
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/18/03
#4re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:23amjust because it CAN be done doesn't mean it SHOULD be done.
Ad_Libbing
Featured Actor Joined: 10/30/04
#5re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:27am
Oh, sure. YAGMCB and Snoopy are both very easy to add choruses to. During The Baseball Game, for instance, the director at one of our middle schools split the cast of sixty or seventy into two teams and staged a baseball game between them. Beethoven Day featured the eighth grade cast members, who were all decked out in Beethoven sweatshirts and selling Beethoven cookies. The chorus easily becomes school children or neighborhood kids, and it all tends to work really well.
(P.S.: Snoopy is, in my opinion, a little more chorus-friendly than You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. If you've got any sort of sway at all, why not suggest it?)
Best of luck!
"'But do you really mean, sir,' said Peter, 'that there could be other worlds --all over the place, just round the corner-- like that?'
'Nothing is more probable,' said the Professor..."
-The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
'Nothing is more probable,' said the Professor..."
-The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
Amneris
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#6re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 12:28amIve done the show 3 times and only once did we have a childrens chorus which opened the show with an original song and opened the 2nd act with another original song . I'm auditioning for the revival version again this month and pray I get to do it a 4th time. I adore it!
Jon
Broadway Legend Joined: 2/20/04
#7re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 5:44am
I assume you are aware that it is a HUGE copywright violation to "open the show with an original song".
It is permissible to add a chorus. It is NOT permissible to add "characters" such as Marcie, Pigpen, etc. and give them lines originally spoken by the actual characters in the show, or to add new material.
It is also not permissible to simply do the old version (because the music is so much easier) and add "My New Philosopy".
Of course, groups do these things all the time...
Amneris
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#8re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 10:19am
um actually no..Our director got all the proper permission she needed to do this. This was back in 2000 that chorus production I did. It was right around the time Mr.S passed away so the musical director wrote 2 songs in honor of him for the kids to sing.The last time I did the show was the old version and I was swing for Patty/Lucy.
I think she knew what she was doing..I trust her :)
Updated On: 11/14/04 at 10:19 AM
TheaterGeek91
Broadway Star Joined: 5/22/04
#9re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 10:30amI am in Snoopy right now with a chorus, and it's not that difficult. They do a lot of background dancing and do some singing @ the end of lots of songs. The leads keep their parts, but the chorus feels wanted too. It works out nicely in a community theatre situation like ours!
bwaymyway
Understudy Joined: 5/8/04
#10re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 10:36amI've done it a few times, and once with a chorus. But you can't make them the original characters...like the ones who were in peanuts, but not in the show.
but most of all i yearn to be astonishing...
broadwaybaby77
Leading Actor Joined: 10/17/04
#11re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 10:37am
having a chorus = death to the show
my camp did a production of it, and everyone is automatically in a show, so we had about 50 people in the show...so that leaves 44 chorus members. it's hard to incorporate them properly, but it will make the show seem.....well...okay?
it's not hard to pull off, but i don't think it'll make the show any better.
Amneris
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#12re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 10:38amI think my director added the kids chorus because where it was done, there were 100s of whiney mothers and if their kids were in the show they'd bring the entire family.. multiply that with friends ya got an audience haha! They weren't "characters" though. They were the little kiddies who wore yellow shirts and red hats.
#13re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 10:47amI saw a staging with a chorus. They added random parts like Molly and Pepermint Patty and there was the show!
milkengh
Swing Joined: 7/14/04
#14re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 1:39pmThanks for all the info, guys. I didn't realize SNOOPY was a show, but i'm definitely going to have to look into it!!!
Te cubrire.
#15re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 1:43pmthey did a great concert of SNOOPY a while back.
David walked into the valley
With a stone clutched in his hand
He was only a boy
But he knew someone must take a stand
There will always be a valley
Always mountains one must scale
There will always be perilous waters
Which someone must sail
-Into the Fire
Scarlet Pimpernel
#16re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 1:45pmyea- i would suggest SNOOPY- it is more addition friendly, and is a very fun show!
defy_gravity
Stand-by Joined: 9/12/04
#17re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 3:57pm
Agreed...
I was in YAGMCB with a chorus once, and once without.
The one without was much better, the chorus changed it... for that, it's better to stick with the 6 characters.
But for SNOOPY, it's still better without a chorus, but less disagreeable with one.
So if you want/need a chorus, I suggest SNOOPY.
We can't all come and go by bubble...
bwaymyway
Understudy Joined: 5/8/04
#18re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 5:08pmDefinatly. There's a lot more you can do with Snoopy.
but most of all i yearn to be astonishing...
#20re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 5:35pmi'm in YAGMCB at my school now and we have a chorus for the bookreport, gleeclub and the title song. i would prefer to get rid of it, but because of the complaints from my classmates that didnt get one of the 6 parts, we now have a chorus. i would also rather do the revival. has anyone ever seen/acted in the original? i've seen the revival and have the soundtrack with Kristen. i absolutely love "my new philosophy"
sometimes i think my head is so big because it is so full of dreams- the elephant man
Amneris
Broadway Legend Joined: 5/16/03
#21re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 8:12pmI;ve done the original Production 2 times... and the revival version once. Ive also done SNOOPY the musical once as well. I was Sally in that. I see a trend of me only getting cast in YAGMCB or SNOOPY.. not a bad thing though not bad at all hehe
#22re: You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown question
Posted: 11/14/04 at 9:35pmI did this show with around 20. Four "Playground Dancer's" and a chorus. It worked really well! Chorus was added to a lot of numbers and it gave lots of people a chance to be in it without taking away from the leads. Any questions about specific numbers etc...PM me.
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