The characters are still the gang we have known for almost fifty years:  Lucy has her crabby, contemptuous style, Snoopy is on a never-ending hunt for the Red Baron, Linus cuddles his blue blanket and Schroeder is ever-playing his tinker piano.  There is, however, one large difference.  They have gone from ink and paint to flesh and bone.
 
Filling the shoes of our hapless hero is the tow-headed Anthony Rapp, best known for his portrayal of Mark in Jonathan Larson's Pulitzer Prize-winning "Rent."  Flat-topped and wide-eyed, he is the quintessential cock-eyed optimist, finding hope in each calamitous situation he finds himself in.  He projects Charlie Brown's indomitable spirit, and brings natural warmth and innocence to the role.  Child-like mannerisms and adult emotion are blended to form a strong center that anchors the show.  A line from the new version of the title song is the perfect example of Rapp's Charlie Brown -- he says, full of determination, "I'm not the type of guy who gives up easily."  Certainly not.
 
A new creation to the show is the character of Sally Brown, Charlie's angst-filled younger sister.  Portrayed by Kristen Chenoweth ("Steel Pier," "A New Brain"), Sally is a positive riot.  With her mop of Shirly-Temple curls and her ferocious/precocious attitude, she is the spunk and vibrance that every show wants and needs.  This is a little kid that no one should mess with.  Chenoweth's charm and ever-loveability shines through at all times, whether militantly arguing over grades or explaining to the audience the pre-adolescent trauma of dropping an ice-cream cone on the sidewalk.  When she cocks her head and compares her life to a Shakespearean tragedy, there is not a single person in the audience who can avoid throwing his head back in laughter.  "My New Philosophy", her solo number, is one of the most entertaining of the show, and how such a powerful voice escapes such a tiny person is nothing short of amazing.
 
Roger Bart's portrayal of Snoopy is another bright spot.  Convincing dog-like mannerisms (including yipes and growls) aside, this cunning beagle always seems to be one step ahead of his human counterparts.  His second-act song to his supper dish is a show-stopper, combining a smooth singing voice with outstanding presence.  It is when Snoopy and Sally get together that things get absolutely hilarious.  Some of the most memorable moments of the show are made -- for instance, a "Hawaii 5-0" reminiscent hunt for rabbits causes no less than an uproar in the audience.
 
BD Wong ("M. Butterfly") stars as the intellectual Linus.  Forever clutching his blanket, he makes extremely astute and adult observations  -- that is, when his thumb isn't in his mouth.  Rounding out the cast are Ilana Levine ("The Last Night of Ballyhoo") as Lucy, and Stanely Wayne Mathis ("The Lion King") as Schroeder.  Levine has captured Lucy exactly as we know her -- a forceful, nasal, fuss-bucket, and Mathis shines in "Beethoven Day", a first-act number that is as light and fun as can be.  The relationships between these characters are more developed than the characters themselves, but their interactions make up for any lack of characterization.
 
Do not expect a deep, thought-provoking experience when entering the Ambassador Theater.  For a night of fun music and pure, unadulterated entertainment, however, go and see how good a man Charlie Brown really is.

Reviewed on Friday, March 19, 1999