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Many are familiar with Charles Schulz� of the Peanuts comics � a pouty, young boy who navigates taking care of his dog Snoopy and is on the receiving end of his older sister Lucy’s sibling banter. The archetype of an average human, Charlie Brown is familiar with losing rather than winning and stands as

Embodying the adolescent Peanuts characters, Stargazer Collaborative Theatre will debut its 2025 season with the Broadway-original at Coconino Center for the Arts (CCA) March 28-April 6, followed by the theater’s traveling education program.

First seen on Broadway in 1960, the two-part musical is broken into a series of vignettes following a day in the life of Charlie Brown and some of the crew.

Codirected by members of Flagstaff’s theater community, Nathan Henderson and John Propster, the pair characterized the show as light-hearted, healing, inclusive and nonpolitical.

“Finding happiness in the simple things in life is definitely a major touchstone of the show, and sort of embracing who you are as having inherent value � . Everybody has flaws,� Henderson said. "Everybody has failures, but we survive and go beyond. It doesn't mean it's the end of the world. You can still persevere."

The wholesome and youthful nature the musical follows the theater’s final show of the 2024 season, “Cabaret.� Set in 1920s Berlin, “Cabaret� is marked by the inherently political time and social unrest of Germany during the rise of the Nazi regime and World War I.

“The show is coming right on the heels of the last Stargazer show that they did -- which was ‘Cabaret� -- which opened very beginning of November, and there was a lot of angst that went into that show, and for a lot of people, it was sort of a grieving process,� Henderson said. “This show is much more sort of the healing that comes after that.�

Stargazer is using a script from the 1990s Broadway revival.

Acting, teaching and directing, Doug Riddle has been a member of Flagstaff’s theater community for over 25 years. This is his second show with Stargazer and third time in his thespian career performing “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,� having acted in and directed shows with the original script.

Once embodying Charlie Brown in 1970, Riddle is in Stargazer’s rendition � playing a 5-year-old boy known for carrying around a security blanket wherever he goes.

“It’s so wholesome, but not � . It's because it's little kids being little kids, but they're being real profound in the midst of it,� Riddle said. “There’s so many things that Charles Schulz did. His comics were more than just entertainment; they were social commentary at the time.�

Riddle said the most notable differences between the two versions were two new characters and additional songs -- but much of the script was the same.

As part of the '90s revival, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown� developed a new score Henderson said gained traction among musical theater aficionados.

The cast for the upcoming performance consists of a wide age range and varied theatrical experiences. The cohort has rehearsed since January, roughly three times a week for two and a half hours.

Charlie Brown is played by Scott Seaman of , completing his third show with Stargazer.

“I think audiences are in for a lot of sunshine, maybe some dark times, and also finding joy and happiness, even when things don't look very bright,� Seaman said. “That's a lot of what Charlie learns during the show, I think, a lot of sunshine, a lot of joy and a lot of heart. I think our cast brings a lot of heart to it and a lot of ourselves, and I hope that transmits.�

He said the cast represents the whole of Flagstaff’s theater community.

“I think this show represents kind of the old community that's been here for a long time, with the new community,� Seaman said. “Half of us are new, and it really is growing. Our community theater in our little community is really growing, and it's exciting to see new talent coming to town, and those of us that have been here forever are excited to see.�

As the cast’s youngest member, Northern Arizona University student Nettie Jahn is doing their first Stargazer show as the understudy for Snoopy and Sally. Jahn has been in theater since they were 5 years old.

“It's really cool to have that sense of community and to meet such new people,� Jahn said. “The lack of ego here is insane. I've never been a part of a show where it didn't feel slightly competitive every single time I walked into the room.�

Seaman said he believes much of the cohesive and uplifting nature of the cast and crew is due to Stargazer’s management, with a strong organizational leadership from the top down.

Following the show at CCA, the cast of “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown� will perform at three primary schools in northern Arizona. As part of their traveling education initiative, the founders of Stargazer aim to make art accessible.

As the first of four plays for Stargazer’s 2025 lineup, “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown� is the theater’s first time conducting the traveling program, and it will perform a condensed version of the play. While the collaborative’s 2025 season is funded by the Art Flores Memorial, the theater is still looking for additional funding for the traveling show.

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