Peanut Trail

It all started when I purchased a limited edition Peanuts 2012 planner from Moleskine over the holidays. The cover design of Charlie Brown by cartoonist Charles M. Schulz made my weekly planning and note taking a little more fun. For a lack of a less cliché statement, it was a stroll down memory lane as The Peanuts Gang was a memorable part of my childhood.

Limited Edition Peanuts 2012 Planner from Moleskine

I went through my family’s old bookshelf to see if my Charlie Brown ’Cyclopedia Set was still intact. I’m glad we fumigated those pesky termites before they could get to my 15-book Peanuts set. My Sweet Valley Twins collection, however, wasn’t as fortunate—but that deserves a separate blog post.

In the ’80s, Wikipedia and Google didn't exist, so ’80s school kids were more resourceful. We turned to libraries, non-digital books, and hardbound Encyclopedia sets such as Charlie Brown’s ’Cyclopedia.

As a kid, I was a hoarder—the type who collected hundreds of pencils and stickers and tried to use as little of them as possible, in hopes of preserving those cute little things for the rest of my life. As I uncovered my treasure box of childhood bric-a-bracs, I saw a lot of yellowing Snoopy stickers and stationeries. Dozens of happy childhood stories and adventures swarmed through my head.

A few weeks later, as if by fate, I was assigned to write Plays to Watch for spot.ph and found out that 9 Works Theatrical is staging You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown from February to March in Manila this year. I attended the press conference in January and was treated to a live performance of the cast.

When I met Robbie Guevarra, who plays Charlie Brown, he said that I look like Frieda, the curly-haired girl from the Peanuts gang. He told me to download Snoopy’s Street Fair to see what he’s talking about. I downloaded the free application to my iPhone as soon as I got home, and I’ve been hooked on the game ever since.

If you send me Snoopy dollars, I will send you Snoopy trading cards!

As a member of the press, I was also given a swag bag of Peanuts gifts—a Snoopy towel, Snoopy mug and coaster set, sweets and treats, and front row tickets to the press preview of the play.

Happiness!

I watched the play on February 7th and boy was it a night of laughs! I forgot how zany and witty the Peanuts characters are. It’s one thing to have a collection of Snoopy stickers; seeing him speak his mind in a crazy banter with Charlie Brown is a far better experience.

Robbie Guevara as Charlie Brown

The cast graced the press for an open mic interview after the play. “Treat kids intelligently and they think intelligently,” said theater veteran Robbie Guevera, when asked how this comic strip from the ’50s can make an impact on our present culture.

I asked the cast who their main inspiration was for internalizing their respective roles.

Sweet Plantado-Tiongson as Sally Brown

“I would observe my own son, Gabo, who is 6 years old,” said Sweet Plantado-Tiongson, who plays Sally Brown and who happens to be a cousin of mine.

Carla Guevara-Laforteza as Lucy

Lorenz Martinez as Snoopy

“Myself!” joked Carla Guevera-Laforteza, who did an amazing job as the bossy and crabby Lucy. The remaining all-adult cast portrayed their roles so well, it’s as if you lifted them from the actual comic strip—Franco Laurel as the blanket-toting Linus, Tonipet Gaba as piano-playing artiste Schroeder, and Lorenz Martinez as Charlie Brown’s lovable dog, Snoopy.

Franco Laurel as Linus

Tonipet Gaba as Schroeder

Despite vignettes of baseball games and colorful playground antics filling the stage, You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown is targeted to audiences of all ages. A good laugh mixed with heartwarming feelings of happiness has no age limit.

I wonder where my Peanuts trail will lead me to next.

Watch You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown on the following show dates:
Feb. 11, Sat., 3:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Feb. 18, Sat., 3:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Feb. 19, Sun., 3:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Feb. 25, Sat., 3:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.
Feb. 26, Sun., 3:30 p.m.
Mar. 2, Fri., 8 p.m.
Mar. 3, Sat., 3:30 p.m. & 8 p.m.

Venue: Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza, Makati, Philippines
Purchase tickets via: Ticketworld at +632-891-9999 or 9 Works Theatrical at +632-586-7105 or +632-557-5860

Buy Snoopy and Charlie Brown products here:

Cast photos courtesy of 9 Works Theatrical. Product photos by Kate Alvarez.