The State Theatre New Jersey has been playing A Charlie Brown Christmas to celebrate the Christmas season with fun songs, dancing, and comedic jokes.
The play was 1 hour and 30 minutes long with an intermission in between. Concessions and souvenirs were on sale before the show and during intermission. Coat check and booster seats were also available for guests to use.
The show began with the iconic character Snoopy entering the stage, much like the cartoon movie. Following Snoopy was the rest of the Peanuts characters who entered the stage singing and dancing. The play was almost an exact replica of the cartoon; however, since the cartoon is only 25 minutes long, the play added a few more songs that came with dance numbers to lengthen the show.
The State Theatre New Jersey is a nonprofit theater, meaning all of the costumes, props, and sets were donations. Overall, I thought the production quality was good, the props and sets looked accurate, and the costumes captured the essence of the original movie. The only thing I was disappointed with was the costume for Snoopy; although you could tell who he was, his costume felt minimal — especially in comparison to the other characters.
I thought the start of the show was a bit slow, but it did pick up towards the second half, and Act 2 was not short of excitement.
A Charlie Brown Christmas live on stage is great for long time fans or families who want to experience the show in a new light.
