Arts Alive San Antonio

By JASMINA WELLINGHOFF, Editor –

Nearly 60 years after he made a big splash with his 1965 TV Christmas Special, A Charlie Brown Christmas, the beloved Peanuts character is still part of our holiday celebrations but now he and his gang can also be seen in live stage performances all over the U.S.

In San Antonio, there’s no better place to see the lively bunch than the Magik Theater, where live actors portray the storied characters and sing the familiar songs as they try to put on a Christmas show, find a Christmas Tree and deal with each other. This is the fifth time that the company has staged the show at this time of the year.

“People keep asking for it,” said actress and education coordinator Rebekah Williams who plays Lucy. “It’s a special experience for many kids and their families, often the first live play for a young child.”

Adapted for live performance by Eric Shaeffer in 2013, the show follows the TV special’s script with minor modifications. For instance, Snoopy’s bird friend, Woodstock, that was part of the Charles Schulz’s original comic strip for a while, makes an appearance, though without speaking. But the story is essentially the same. Who would dare mess with that!?

As in the original, Charlie Brown is kind of depressed during the Christmas season and finds himself at loose ends.  So, Lucy suggests he should direct the school’s holiday pageant to experience a sense of belonging. But things don’t go smoothly. The other kids either ignore or mock him, and he’s about to give up when Linus steps in to explain the true meaning of Christmas. That changes everything. The friends come together to decorate the scrawny little tree Charlie had chosen, and high spirits return to all.

Williams first saw the animated TV show when she was “four or five.” “At Christmas time, we always watched Charlie Brown and The Sound of Music in our home,” she said. Now, she gets to bring the experience to other kids. Like her, all the actors on the Magik’s stage are adult professionals, who dress and behave like children.

“You have to find a way to convey the energy and body language of a child,” she noted. “And when I sing in a child’s voice, I sing faster, at a higher pitch. It takes a lot of practice.” She also makes sure that her character, Lucy, doesn’t come across as too mean and bossy, as she often appeared to be in the comic strip. Live piano accompaniment is provided by Mark Johnson, who appropriately portrays Schroeder, the Beethoven-loving member of the Peanuts gang.

Though the obvious “lesson” of the story is rooted in the Christian religion – namely that the birth of Jesus Christ is what Christmas is all about, not commercial trapping and fancy decorations – it is also about community and friendship, said Williams. And everyone can relate to that.

“People are huge fans of the show,” she added.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, Dec.21 at 2 and 7 p.m., Dec. 22 at 2 p.m., Dec.23 at 2 and 7 p.m., Dec. 24 at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m.; Magik Theater, 420 S. Alamo, 78204; tickets $15-$25, call 210-227-2751 or www.magiktheatre.org