Snoopy!!!

Review

Once in a while, along comes a show that surprises and delights. This is one of those. Even if you've never followed the Peanuts cartoon capers of Charlie Brown, Snoopy and friends - and I haven't - this musical version has much to offer.

There's not much more to it than a series of cartoon strips brought to life on Vaughn Capstick's marvellous cutout cartoon set, the comic sketches punctuated by songs. The performers work wonders in creating instant characters, helped by costume and make up.

All have their charms, but I rather took to Sam Shimbart's Peppermint Patty, and Jay Cross' comfort-blanket sucking Linus.

Steve Pratt The Portsmouth News - Thursday 19th July 1996

 

Intrigued by the idea of Snoopy!!! The Musical, Musical South went along to Portsmouth Arts Centre to see how HumDrum AmDram would create an all-singing, all-dancing version of this beloved cartoon canine.

A pictorial delight for adults and children alike, HumDrum's production followed the clear lines and strong colours of Charles Schultz's illustrations. With minor exceptions, everything was bold and bouncing in this production which comprised a series of sketches reflecting Shultz's humorous philosophy, rather than telling a particular story.

Visually, HumDrum surpassed the West End production of this Broadway musical by Grossman (contributor to The Muppet Show and Michael Jackson's Dangerous album) and Hackaday (Whatever Happened to Baby Jane [West End 1996]), which made no attempt to reproduce the comic strip characters as we know them, option for an unimaginative dress code of T-shirts and jeans.

By contract, HumDrum's production boasted superb costumes by Bustles. T-shirts were hooped and weighted at the hem to make them stand out in Schulz's characteristic cone shapes. Stuart Francis painstakingly sculpted the quirks and kiss-curls of the original hairstyles, and Vaughn Capsticks's set, down to the white painted daisies on the green cloth floor, was absolutely the Peanuts backdrop. Lighting and sound by Theresa Pratt and Jon Brackpool were also excellent.

Whilst Snoopy's ears were the sole sartorial disappointment, Peter Colley's performance was generally good, and he must be credited for his bravery in attempting to portray this household favourite in a new medium. Despite taking the title role, it cannot be said that Colley was the "star", as HumDrum's was essentially a good ensemble performance in which, so to speak, every dog had his day.

Dressed in a yellow leotard, leggings and shoes, with yellow feathers woven into her blonde hair, sporting a yellow boa and brandishing a yellow top hat and can, Wendy Roe as Woodstock transformed the only non-speaking role into an eloquent performance. Her skilful mime and excellent execution of Michèle Johnson's imaginative dance routines were a joy to see. Johnson's choreography was lively and picturesque throughout, coaxing great performances from the entire cast and leaving the audience wanting more.

Co-director James George's professional training was apparent in his lovable portrayal of Charlie Brown. Audience members who could not stay for the second half missed the charming 'Poor Sweet Baby', Peppermint Patty's serenade to "Chuck", which was beautifully staged and well sung by Sam Shimbart. Whilst musically erratic, Shimbart's performance was gusty and enthusiastic, in marked contrast to her sedate and graceful role in A Little Night Music (see Vocal Musical Sept/Oct).

Shimbart's chameleonic qualities suggest considerable potential, as recognised by the admissions panel at the Old Vic's London School of Musical Theatre, where Sam is due to study as one of 16 youngsters selected from Nationwide auditions. Musical South eagerly anticipates the rise of her career after professional training. Helen Roser, whose performance as Sally Brown was of a consistently high standard, could be another one to watch.

Caz Reeves' Lucy was appropriately obnoxious, often demonstrating a good grasp of Schultz's humour, but sadly Jay Cross, although evidently talented was miscast as Linus. Whilst Cross' musical direction hit some clear notes, particularly in the rollicking piano accompaniment, the score as a whole could have benefited from some deft cutting, had copyright permitted, thus avoiding some weak performances.

As acknowledged by HumDrum themselves, Snoopy is a difficult musical to produce. The fragmentary nature of the play reflects its origins as a collection of cartoon sketches. Though I could not, largely due to inconsistent musical standards credit HumDrum with the "seamless presentation " they claim, the excellent character work instigated by Psu Boyne (sic) and James George resulted in individually coherent performances which were no small achievement in such a production.

Amy Walker - Musical South - Issue 2 November & December '96