Music, set design, and talented actors come together to create a magical work that reminds us that Christmas is more than just gifts and decorations.

I believe the 1965 animated TV special "Charlie Brown's Christmas" (played on Apple TV) is the greatest Christmas movie of all time. In just 25 minutes, Charles M. Schulz captured the feeling and meaning behind the holiday. 

Of course, I am very happy to be able to review First Stage's live interpretation of this classic work, which will last until December 26th. 

The performance opened with a pianist, Paul Helm, playing "Christmas Is Here". The children's actors added these verses with sweet voices, and in the cold winter day, they will melt the snowflakes on your sweater. When music is playing, except for the flashing lights in the house, the stage is mostly static. It is simple and beautiful, which is exactly the meaning of Charlie Brown's Christmas. 

Then, the lights went out and a dog house was taken to the stage. It's Snoopy! The Christmas Beagle is played by adult actor JT Backes. It may take a minute to get used to seeing a cunning and witty puppy played by an adult, but he will quickly grow on you and is the favorite of the children in the audience. They laugh every time they come on stage. Come down. 

Snoopy first pulled random items from his dog house, as if he were Mary Poppins. He found a large number of copies from Summer Inner Tube (children laugh) to Leo Tolstoy's War and Peace (adult laugh). This scene sets the tone for the rest of the show. Young audiences love this stupid behavior, while the rest of us see children giggling like small adults. Snoopy finally found his food bowl and we started the next scene. 

As the children's actors enter the stage, the ice rink appears and it starts to snow. The actors wore bright parkas, allowing their characters to be recognized at a glance. Two girls fastened their skates and put them on the ice, the pigsty (played by Benjamin Poindexter) piled up a snowman, Snoopy sprinkled a drop of water on the ice rink, and Helm continued to use the magic on the key Score. Of course, there is a snowball fight, and Linus (King Z Pollard) can even show off how he throws one with a blanket. 

After a moment in "Pumpkin King", Charlie Brown sneaks into the next one, Snoopy will shine as Red Barron. This scene uses some clever special effects, including belly laugh moments involving Snoopy plush toys and parachutes.

Now, there would be no Charlie Brown Christmas without Charlie Brown, and Nolan Zelemeier played him as a gentle, insecure and lovely soul. We only knew him best when Lucy (played by the undeniable star Alice Rivera) charged him 5 cents for "mental assistance". At a lemonade stand, Charlie Brown sat with his good weather friend, sharing his holiday melancholy. "I feel depressed. I know I should be happy, but I am not happy," he told Lucy. She decided that he needed to participate and let him be the director of the Christmas play. 

Of course Charlie Brown's performance was a mess. The actor doesn't listen to him, just dances between shots, which is very cute. The director is worried that the show-like his dog and sister Sally (Mullah Kuhn-Grums)-is too commercial. In order to save it, he and Linus continued to search for the perfect Christmas tree. When he is away, we can see Schroeder (Thatcher Jacobs) playing the keys while Snoopy is dancing on his miniature piano, which is a treat. 

In the sea of ​​colorful Christmas trees, Charlie Brown chose the most inconspicuous one, even though Linus warned to choose a more gorgeous Christmas tree. Naturally, his actors hate it. "Boy, are you stupid Charlie Brown?" Violet (Lucy Halpen) sneered. The real performance of the young actors makes you feel heartbroken for poor Charlie Brown. 

This is when we got wonderful reminders from Linus about the reasons for this season. Pollard’s monologue quoted a famous biblical verse: 

In the same country, there are shepherds living in the fields and guarding the flocks at night. Behold, the angel of the Lord descended on them, the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. The angel said to them: "Don't be afraid, because look, I bring you a message of great joy, this is for everyone. Because today in the City of David, the Savior is born for you, the Lord Christ. This will become yours. Sign. You will find the baby lying in the manger, wrapped in swaddling clothes. Suddenly, there is a large group of heavenly soldiers with angels, praising God, saying: "Glory to God in the highest place, peace on earth, to people Show grace.'" 

Of course, we got a happy ending for Charlie Brown. The actors decorated the tree-walking around as they did in the cartoon-and used "Hark! Pioneer Angel Sing", "Come on, all the faithful", "Silent Night" and "We wish Merry Christmas to you". This is the perfect ending for a touching work. 

This show is designed for families. The running time is only 60 minutes, and there is no intermission, even the youngest person in the Peanut Gallery can taste it. There will be a short "reply" after the performance, and the audience can ask the actors any questions they may have. 

First Stage and 12 other performing arts groups are taking health precautions seriously. To enter the theater, you need to show a certificate of COVID-19 vaccination or a negative test taken within 72 hours after the performance. The theater company also chose not to sell every seat in the house. 

Show time and tickets can be found on the First Stage website. The show has two child actors-Sparky and Schultz. I must see the work of the Sparky actors, but I believe Schulz’s Peanuts band will also perform well in the performance. 

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