Happiness is. watching the musical 'You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown'

MANILA, Philippines - In its simplicity, the play triumphs. There’s nothing grand or bafflingly obscure about it, just a handful of jokes and a pocketful of songs to carry the show.

Good grief, they’ve done it again. 9 Works Theatrical, that is. The group has taken yet another vintage musical (hot on the heels of last year’s hit Sweet Charity) and managed to make it a complete and absolute joy to behold.

Indeed, You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown is nothing short of spectacular. But before I get ahead of myself with heedless adjectives, let me tell you exactly why this play is the bomb.

For one thing, it’s simple. Simple staging, simple props, simple costumes, and a simple, lovable set of characters — the Peanuts Gang. Nothing grand or bafflingly obscure about it, just a handful of jokes and a pocketful of songs to carry the show.

There’s also no conventional plot — no problem, no menacing villain, no rising action, no climax, no resolution. All it has is six little characters that most of us grew up with: Snoopy, Lucy, Schroeder, Sally Brown, Linus and, of course, Charlie Brown.

Lorenz Martinez giving his own special sass and humor to everyone’s favorite talking Beagle

It’s precisely because of this simplicity that a musical like Charlie Brown is respectably hard to pull off. In the hands of amateurs, or even big-time theater artists without any idea of the theory and nuances a staging like this demands, the whole thing could very well become one big flop; coming off as childish, outdated and even forced. It would then have to rely on the inherent charm of Charles Schulz’s characters, as well as the genius of Clark Gesner’s original script and music, to push the whole thing forward.

Not so with this particular rendition. Director Michael Williams did a stellar job of maintaining the whole high-wire act: tempering the scenes with just enough flamboyancy to show sensitivity to the play’s material, while not unduly exaggerating an already hilarious show. The transitions are seamless, considering the vignette structure of the scenes; the pace is quick and lively; the acting, superb.

And on that note, let me just say that it wasn’t even acting anymore. In the sense of pretending to be someone you weren’t, at least. It was the cast having fun. When you’re allowed to be a child again for two whole hours as a rapt audience watches you onstage, how can you not try to enjoy yourself? Incidentally, what better way to enjoy being a kid again than by squabbling, cavorting and bursting forth with song and dance?

Now arguably, what makes the show a challenge to pull off is the particular complexity of its characters. All their personalities straddle a border of some sorts, with Charlie Brown hovering between annoyingly angst-y and too adorable for words; Lucy between an irritable drama queen and sassy go-getter; Linus between an insufferable know-it-all and the blanket-carrying voice of reason; Sally between an unnerving pragmatist and eloquent house speaker; and Schroeder between neurotically intense and just madly in love with his music. 

Snoopy is the exception, just because he’s too much of a wisecracking mongrel to be borderline anything anyway (and he’s awesome).

Indeed, the delicacy that each role requires was not lost on the cast who, true to form, performed effortlessly. Each and every one of them showcased the kind of skill, discipline and professionalism that only comes with experience, and that allows for such finely -honed performances.

Robbie Guevara and Carla Guevara-Laforteza trying to diagnose the reason for all of Charlie Brown’s insecurities

Robbie Guevara was positively endearing as Charlie Brown; breaking my heart a little with his ever-furrowed brow and mile-long list of insecurities, never letting the audience abandon their sympathies with him for a moment. Franco Laurel as Linus was the perfect paradox of matter-of-fact genius and childish naivete played out to a “T” (who knew he could dance with a blanket?). Meanwhile, Tonipet Gaba blew me away with the spastic energy and single-minded determination he exuded as Schroeder, giving one of the most memorable performances of the night with Beethoven Day. Carla Guevara-Laforteza was an absolute tour de force as the bossy, loud-mouthed Lucy, who delivered the show’s most poignant, “aww”-inducing lines with just a hand on Charlie Brown’s shoulder and six simple words. As always, Sweet Plantado-Tiongson onstage is just perfection, her depiction of Sally managing to simultaneously scare and delight the mirth out of me. And of course, there’s Snoopy, played by Lorenz Martinez with such a flair for timing and physical comedy that he manages to bring down the house just by strutting around and shaking his butt… and singing Suppertime, of course.

Why do we call Charlie Brown a good man? Do we call awkward, indecisive men with no backbone “good men”? In this world, we don’t. Instead, we call those who earn a lot “good men.” We call our bosses “good men.” We call the people we’ve never even shaken hands with but see in the magazines “good men.” But we forget that the good man and the good woman is the child in us. And we can all be good men.

In the end, what makes the play so darn great is the timelessness of its themes and emotional relevance. You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown evokes the same careless atmosphere we used to bask in as kids — no worries, no responsibilities, and best of all, no adults. In the end, it’s about being children. Enjoy the spell of being a child even for just two hours, because I cannot recommend this play highly enough.

 As Snoopy puts it, “Not bad, not bad at all.”

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Show runs from Feb. 11 to Mar. 3, 2012 at the Carlos Romulo Auditorium, RCBC Plaza Bldg., Makati City. You can buy your tickets from TicketNet or by contacting 557-5860, 586-7105 or 0917-5545560 or info@9workstheatrical.com.