Seton Hall University - Galleon Yearbook (South Orange, NJ)

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I ' d break your face! Oh, good grief! (Continued from page 18) Although they could not steal the show, Dominic Fico as Snoopy and Ed Sherrier as Linus were not to be outdone. The former gave a lithe and pungent interpretation of every- one ' s favorite beagle. His rendition of Sup- pertime Song highlighted the second act of the show. The latter ' s Linus, calm and collected throughout, winsomely won the admiration of all. With blanket in arm and thumb in mouth, Sherrier ' s persistent philosophizing never stretched anyone ' s patience to the breaking point. His solo My Blanket and Me ranked as one of the most entertaining songs in the staging. The remaining players— Joseph O ' Connor as the title character and Lorraine Venezia as Patty— both shared the misfortune of pos- sessing the poorer parts in the play. Charlie Brown is simply the most difficult role, and though O ' Connor utilized the utmost of his ability, he decidedly lacked the stage pres- ence of the other cast members. Even Vene- zia had this, though Patty added little or noth- ing of merit to the play. ( Continued on page 20)

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Schroeder , do you love me as much as you love Beethoven? Lucy, would you get angry if I said no? CHARLIE BROWN by Mark Ortolani Photos by Dave Emmerling Christmas, comics, and candy are similar in that they share the capability of bringing out the children in all of us, although, to be sure, in varying degrees. It is no great surprise, therefore, that the Theatre-in-the-Round ' s sec- ond production of the season was such a suc- cessful one. For, coincindentally commencing performances with the Christmas season and based on Charles M. Schulz ' s Peanuts comic strip, the show. You ' re A Good Man Charlie Brown, was a palatable proffering delighting young and old with its light-hearted comedy and music. The direction of Gilbert Rathbun emerged intelligent on two levels: it did not attempt to burden the production by stressing any adult overtones in the script (the play is, in the end, a children ' s one); it maintained an even bal- ance among the various characters, not allow- ing such potential show stealers as Snoopy and Linus to do just that . . . dominate the pro- ceedings to the detriment of everyone else. But of course it goes without saying that part of the even-handedness of the production was thanks to the performers themselves. Be- sides Snoppy and Linus, there are four other characters who make the transition from draw- ings to dramatic players: Charlie Brown, Lucy, Schroeder, and Patty. The middle two, Lucy and Schroeder, were most responsible for keeping the play on an even keel. As Lucy, the veteran Audrey Witko was at her best, giving a characterization both right- fully pertinacious and yet, in its way charm- ing. Scott Bernstein ' s composition of Schroeder invigorated, to say the least. In what stands as Bernstein ' s finest work to date on the round stage, this portrayal was uninhibited and pur- posefully exaggerated, to the amusement of all. When Witko ' s brassiness joined with his eccentricity in the number Schroeder , it turned out to be one of the most memorable musical moments of the entire production. (Continued on page 19)

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(Continued from page 19) Owen McEvoy ' s lighting and props made excellent use of the Theatre -in -the -Round ' s intimate settings. The props were pastel colored blocks (and a doghouse) of all shapes and all highly adaptable to different services, from pianos, to desks, to televi- sions. In the end, what one recalls is the playfulness and the perspic- uousness of the show, and at Christmas time and exam time, no one could have asked for more.