You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown
The Gatehouse Upstairs, London

THIS series of vignettes from Charles Schultz’s famous Peanuts cartoon strip is a delight, and embodied by an ensemble of actors clearly relishing the whole thing. 

The comedy starts off nicely as Snoopy’s phone goes off and the audience are reminded to turn theirs off too. Harry Styles’s on stage band strikes up with that nostalgic pantomime sound – all shimmering cymbals, keys, strings and reeds calling to our inner children as the cast navigate the ups and downs, challenges and joys of growing up. 

It’s funny — darn funny — the actors mining the comedy as well as the poignancy of their roles. Snoopy, a louche Oliver Sydney, wears a white dinner suit, changing into sparkly tux and taps shoes for his routine celebrating the only high point of his day, suppertime.  Spoiler alert – he wears a bone tie.