Broadway Musical Comes to Dalat: A Roaring Success!

Jackson Miller

After a whole semester of memorization and hundreds of hours of rehearsals and construction, the first ever Broadway musical at Dalat opened its doors on Friday evening last week. Students in the Dalat Drama program got a chance to perform in the critically acclaimed 50-year-old musical You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown.

The cast included new initiates into the world of theatrics, Daniel Choi (11) and Benjamin Hollon (9), who played Schroeder and Linus respectively. Both performed extremely impressively. Their singing voices and acting abilities spoke volumes about a potential future in show business, if they so choose. Mr. Franceschi, who was the technical director of the show and has an extensive background in theatre, said, “Daniel was a delightful surprise of the show! He has great potential ahead of him.”

Benjamin had the guts and confidence to create his own dance with a blanket, which was well executed and should have been taken with the utmost seriousness.

Seth Kelley (12), who played the eponymous anti-hero, has had years of experience in drama at Dalat. He played Charlie Brown with deft skill and resounding characterization; he was perfect for the part. When asked about the production, however, he humbly replied “I didn’t think I would get casted.”

Everyone who saw the show agreed that the relatively small cast acted and sang together beautifully. Tim Baek (12) said, “They worked really well as a team, more than just their individual acting.”

Backed up by an enthusiastic chorus, the Peanuts Gang brought wholesome old-fashioned comedy to the Dalat community. Interestingly, for one of the cast members, this was not her first time involved with a Charlie Brown production. Hannah Peek (11), new to Dalat this year and who quickly showed her talent and seniority in the performing arts, had previously played Sally Brown’s understudy. This time, however, Hannah performed as Lucy van Pelt, the “super crab” and foil of Charlie Brown.

The cast also included Alejandro Garza-Lainez (11) and Su-ji Lim (12) as Snoopy and Sally Brown. Dressed in a full dog costume, Alejandro had two musical numbers, “The Red Baron” and “Supper Time,” with the latter reminiscent of elaborate Broadway dances. Su-ji pulled off sweet and innocent blond-haired Sally extremely convincingly; “My New Philosophy” consistently brought a smile to the audience’s face.

The audience who watched the Friday and Saturday shows could see the effort and hours that the cast on stage had brought to the production. But maybe not so immediately obvious was the work and love that many others had given. Many behind the scenes individuals were responsible for making the show a success. Alice Chang (12), Student Technical Director, also spent many hours with her crew perfecting the lighting and audio cues. She remarked on the work that went into making the sets and costumes: “I'm really thankful for the parents that showed up for workdays and Saturdays and helped build sets like the couch, piano, and doghouse. Without them, we wouldn’t have finished all of those things.”

The week following this theatrical success will surely be filled with music from the stage, as it's stuck in everyone’s head. But, unfortunately for some, not everyone will remember this unique experience. In a characteristic manner, Esther Ko (12) bluntly said, “I didn’t watch it.”