You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown was written in 1967 with book, music and lyrics by Clark Gesner. The play is based on the comic strip “Peanuts” by Charles M. Schulz. It opened off-Broadway in 1967 before moving on Broadway in 1971. The show is done in the vignette style, portraying multiple short stories containing the same characters and sharing a common thread, but without a central plotline. The story revolves around Charlie Brown, a boy who just has nothing ever go right for him, and his interactions with the other kids he knows, his clueless little sister Sally, the forceful Lucy Van Pelt and her intellectual little brother Linus, and the Beethoven obsessed piano player Schroeder, among others.

Sam Williams (Charlie Brown) skillfully handled the role of the title character. With strong vocals and great reactions and stage presence, Williams nailed the adorably pathetic character of Charlie Brown. He had good comedic timing when delivering lines and provided stability for the other members of the cast to depend on and play off of.

Williams was backed by a strong supporting cast. Elizabeth Burr (Sally Brown) brought great energy to her role. She had hilarious facial expressions and reactions throughout the show. She also was an adept dancer with good movement on stage and made good use of a nasal, high-pitched voice that fit with her character. Aria Nawab (Schroeder) had great comedic timing and line delivery. He demonstrated strong vocals and energy in songs such as “Beethoven Day” and “Book Report.” Ali Cheraghpour (Linus) created many funny moments with his blanket, especially his song “My Blanket and Me,” complete with an adorable dance between him and Elizabeth Burr playing the blanket.

The J.E.B Stuart Pit Orchestra did a wonderful job with the music. They kept up the energy with the lively music of the show and blended perfectly with the actors without any noticeable mistakes. The show was choreographed by Elizabeth Burr, who came up with cute choreography that everyone in the cast could handle and that was very effective in the presentation of the numbers. One highlight was “Supper Time” where they broke out the top hats and canes to produce a hysterically funny dance that had the whole audience laughing.

The J.E.B. Stuart Stage Crew did a fantastic job of moving the set quickly and quietly. The set changes went very smoothly and were not distracting for the audience. The set was designed to look like a comic book background, with a bright blue sky and puffy white cartoon clouds. This was broken up into panels, furthering the comic book effect. Oversized furniture was used, helping to create a child-like atmosphere for the actors. Props were color coded to match the character’s costumes they belonged to which was an appreciated touch.

Despite some off-pitch vocals and lagging energy, the cast of J.E.B. Stuart High School’s You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown came together to produce a heart-warming, entertaining production.

by Madeleine Lucas of Oakcrest School

Photo Gallery

Hillary Leersnyder, Blythe Holmes, Kelly McNesby, Deanna Leersnyder, Kaia Dunne, Ali Cheraghpour, Sam Williams (Charlie Brown), Sarah Rubin, Karen Whitlock, Elizabeth Burr, Abby Stewart, Angela Leersnyder, Aria Nawab

Photos by David Mosher

Written by James Lapine with music by Stephen Sondheim, this musical premiered on Broadway in 1987, winning a plethora of Tony Awards in the following categories: Best Score, Best Book, and Best Actress in a musical. This music heavy show intertwines the traditional fairy tale stories from Cinderella to Jack and the Beanstalk to Little Red Riding Hood, giving a modern twist to the average children’s story. Focusing primarily on Jack, Cinderella and the Baker and his wife, these characters desperately try to pursue their own dreams despite the challenges they face within the woods. However, they ultimately learn that they must rely on each other in order to reach their own aspirations they have so long desired.

The large cast at J.E.B. Stuart High School rose to the challenge of taking a difficult, music heavy show and bringing it to life. Each actor brought their own, unique interpretation to each of the fairy tale creatures and was successful in engaging the audience in this upbeat musical. Whether prancing through the aisles or trumpeting around on stage, each character differentiated in their physicality making certain scenes enjoyable to watch.

A strong and consistent character throughout the entirety of the show was the Baker’s Wife played by Mariana Barbosa. Her beautiful and mellifluous voice helped make duller and less energized scenes much more interesting. Her commitment to character was evident whether she was singing a solo or remaining in the background only to chip in for a few lines. In addition, her chemistry with the Baker, played by Sam Khalaji was apparent especially in their song “It Takes Two” and their interaction was very sincere and heartwarming.

Another pair that helped give the traditional fairy tale a modern twist was Cinderella, played by Hillary Leersnyder and her prince, played by Joe Dubas. Their quirkiness and charm gave dry scenes more humor and interest. Similarly, Jack played by Joshua Okada and his mother, played by Lenny Mendez, equally brought dedication to their roles with their projection and physicality.

Technically, the costumes were exquisitely crafted, bringing to life each of the personalities of all the fairy tale characters. Whether it was an extravagant ball gown like Cinderella’s or a more reserved outfit suited for the Baker’s wife, each costume adequately represented the characters outrageous traits and qualities. In addition, set changes were overall quick and efficient; however, at times they took attention away from the scenes happening on stage.

The cast and crew of J.E.B. Stuart High School rose to the challenge of taking a demanding and difficult production and making it creative, unique, and magical.

by Monica Thapa of Freedom High School

The Shakespearean comedy, which has been performed for over 400 years, explores the power of love and the depths of the imagination. The play follows a group of mortals entangled in a love quadrangle who have fled from Athens into an enchanted forest. Once in the woods, their fate is in the hands of the fairies, led by the feuding King and Queen, Oberon and Titiania and the servant, Puck, who wreaks havoc by toying with the mortals’ affections and manipulating a troupe of dim-witted actors.

One of the biggest challenges in executing A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the language barrier. Making Shakespeare’s complex text accessible to audiences is no simple task; however, almost all members of JEB Stuart’s cast tackled the script triumphantly, allowing the language come to life.

From the first scene, the lover, Lysander, played by Niusha Nawab, was a standout. He had convincing line delivery and a well-defined understanding of his character and motives. Later in the show, when under a love spell, Nawab was able to depict the preposterous situation in a believable manner. Also notable was the portrayal of Helena by Jaime Ahlborn. As a character desperately seeking attention, Ahlborn got the audience to empathize with her. She had sharp facial expressions and amusing physical comedy. On the contrary to Nawab and Ahlborn, some actors played their characters as stiff and one-dimensional; not showcasing any vocal variety or emotional transitions.

Elliot Roth stole the show as Nick Bottom, the overly dramatic Weaver. Roth had commanding stage presence and exaggerated physicality that characterized him as self-absorbed. His enthusiasm and spot-on comedic timing made him a joy to watch. Roth’s supporting ensemble, The Mechanicals, played well off each other and brought an abundance of energy to the stage.

The technical elements of A Midsummer Night’s Dream enhanced the production. Multi-colored light schemes and eerie sound cues were used to depict the land of the fairies and set a fanciful mood. Spotlights held on actors were consistent, even when the actors ventured into the audience. Bizarre, colorful make-up and unkempt hair on the fairies added characterization and an element of fantasy.

From the hilarious play-within-a-play to the captivating fairy world, JEB Stuart was successful in doing what all Shakespearean comedies strive to do: entertain.

by Emily Woods of West Potomac

Photo Gallery

Julia Saltzgiver, Casey Hoff,  Bridget Hull ,Marissa Diaz, Natalie Cardenas, Nancy Ritter

Photo by Paul Remy.

Anne of Green Gables is an internationally renowned work of literature that is been used as a key stepping-stone in lingual education in a multitude of countries. Originally published in 1908, the book grew in popularity yet did not become a play until the mid 1950’s and has been popularly reproduced to this day.

The plot revolves around Anne Shirley, a young girl accidently adopted by Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, an older brother and sister couple, who intended to adopt a boy to help with farm labor in the calm town of Avonlea on Prince Edward Island. Matthew quickly becomes enraptured by Anne and her over-imaginative yet highly intelligent characteristics and after some debate convinces Marilla to allow Anne to stay. The story then follows Anne’s many exploits including her friendship with the daughter of the neighboring Barry family, Diana, and Anne’s competitive nature in her schooling.

J.E.B. Stuart High School’s reproduction of the classic play was solid and met expectations. In using a pleasant five-piece orchestra, the play’s key plot developments were nicely accentuated by well-performed, appropriate music of the time period. The quintet only added to Rachel Frenkel‘s humorous characteristics and reactions making the character of Anne more fantastic and imaginative. Both of these, in combination with a nicely balanced and well-made set allowed the audience a variety of focal areas during the show.

Rachel Frankel did a good job of playing the creative and outgoing character that is Anne. Her character-to-character relationships were well portrayed by her body and facial expressions. With good reactions, it was easy to see her feelings about various characters and plot developments during the course of the production.

The character of Matthew, as played by Osama Ashour, adeptly showed the slow progression of aging and his reactions were in keeping with a man of his age. This allowed for good connections between his character and the numerous family and friends populating the show. Despite the lack of well-developed character in a minor few characters, the overall show contained a good consistent energy and carried the audience until the end.

The stage was fabulously developed and the crew did a first-rate job of creating a simple yet pleasant interior for Green Gables. The second level of the stage, used as Anne’s bedroom, added an interesting view and allowed for the audience’s better understanding of Anne’s character. Combined with appropriately period fitting props and costumes, it easily allowed the audience an understanding of Anne’s life at Green Gables.

All in all, J.E.B. Stuart High School performance of Anne of Green Gables was a commendable performance that made good use of an assortment of characters and staging techniques to portray the quiet and pleasant nature of Green Gables and Avonlea.

by Ethan Stackpole of McLean High School

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, recalled the tumult of the Salem witch trials of the seventeenth century. As a writer in the era of McCarthyism, Miller also established intriguing parallels with the terror of the Red Scare – the witch hunt for communists in the United States.

The play opened with a fascinating scene of the children dancing, which was somewhat unique to this production. Green and orange lights were nicely used to introduce the mood.

Despite hesitant lines from some characters, Alana Dreiman as Abigail Williams showed confidence and force in her character appropriate for the role. She successfully assumed control over the other girls and the minds of many townsmen. Although some blocking was present, Dreiman, followed by the girls, did well in creating an atmosphere of fear as they let loose chilling screams.

Rebecca Pearlstein, as Mary Warren, solidly conveyed a weepy character throughout the production. Her fearful interactions with Dreiman in the courtroom were especially attention-grabbing. However, the interactions of some other characters seemed to lack chemistry and conviction. Despite this, the character of Rebecca Nurse (Kendra Gaarder) effectively supported the play with her soft, but assured, demeanor.

The dancing at the beginning of The Crucible and the guitar-playing of Giles Corey (William Blackmore) in between scenes added some creative aspects to the production. The large stage could have been better utilized – the set was pushed up to the front and restricted some of the flow of the action, especially whenever most of the cast was on stage. At times, though, characters adapted well to the stage, even when an unexpected change occurred in the positioning of chairs.

The Crucible questions the validity of witch hunts of the past and present. J.E.B. Stuart did an admirable job of conveying the chaos and fear of such hunts, helping to bring the past to life.

by Christine McLean of Washington-Lee