Culture & Entertainment Notebook: Lights, please: Cape Central High School presents 'A Charlie Brown Christmas'

Fifty-three Cape Girardeau Central High School students have turned the 53-year-old cartoon Christmas classic "A Charlie Brown Christmas" mortal, with performances through Saturday at Kinder Hall.

The story is portrayed through the eyes of Charlie Brown and his classmates. Charlie struggles to look past the commercialism he believes the Christmas season has become focused on.

Payton Walley, Carlyn Lemonds, Dylan Coonts and the 50 other students have rehearsed every day for the past five weeks, they said.

Walley, one of 11 cast members, portrays Shermy in the production and will be clad in a simple outfit: a gray shirt and blue jacket.

"I didn't know much about my character before, because he wasn't a big part, and this production in particular, he only has one line," Walley said. "I do know one thing about my character: he does dislike Charlie Brown."

KASSI JACKSON ~ kjackson@semissourian.com Cape Central High School's cast of A Charlie Brown Christmas sings with the audience at the end of their performance during media night Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, in Cape Girardeau.

Walley said the show sticks closely to the original cartoon version from 1965, with the only difference being the appearance of the characters.

"We try to get it spot on, but it doesn't always happen because they're cartoons and we're not," he said jokingly.

This is Walley's first time acting, he said, and has learned how hard it is to actually be an actor. Walley was once on the tech side of productions, but has transitioned into the acting scene.

Senior Dylan Coonts represents Charlie Brown within the show. Coonts said he and his character are "completely the same."

"Charlie is a sad, lonely boy. He's depressed, and everyone hates him, especially Shermy," he said. "What he wants is Christmas to not be commercial, because that's what it is and that's what it has turned into."

Coonts said, "He wants to show the true meaning of Christmas."

His costume consists of a red windbreaker-type jacket, "the good ol' Charlie Brown shirt" and "a really dumb, fluffy hat, black pants and brown shoes," Coonts said.

"One thing we do that we don't normally do, is the audience is on the stage," Coonts said. "It feels like you're there. It's a small audience; it's only 80 seats. You're right up there with us. We're in your face the entire time."

Junior Carlyn Lemonds is the stage manager for the show and is one of roughly 40 crew members.

"This is my first time as stage manager," she said. "Last show, when we did 'Charlotte's Web,' I was a little props kid."

She sees being stage manager as involving much more work than if she were acting.

Lemonds wanted to be in a position where she was watching everything happen in front of her eyes, she said, which attracted her to the role.

"I didn't really want to be an actor because I don't like to be 'out there,'" she said.

As for the iconic movie scene featuring Linus and what he believes the true meaning of Christmas to be, Lemonds said that is also apparent in the production.

The show also includes many other scenes that will be very recognizable by the audience, she said.

And it's not over when the lights go up.

"After each show, we're going to have a little hot chocolate gathering and all the cast will be out there in their costumes and in character," Lemonds said.

More information and tickets can be found online at capetigers.seatyourself.biz.

jhartwig@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3632

Happy Birthday to:

30 years: "Scrooged" (1988)

25 years: "Mrs. Doubtfire" (1993)

20 years: "A Bug's Life" (1998)

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Top 10 Christmas Movies You Should Watch on Netflix

1) "The Princess Switch" (2018)

Tomatometer: 100%

2) "Santa's Apprentice" (2010)

Tomatometer: 80%

3) "Bad Santa" (2003)

Tomatometer: 78%

4) "Get Santa" (2014)

Tomatometer: 77%

5) "White Christmas" (1954)

Tomatometer: 76%

6) "A Christmas Prince" (2017)

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7) "A Very Murray Christmas" (2015)

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8) "The Christmas Chronicles" (2018)

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9) "The Nutcracker" (1993)

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10) "Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas" (2000)

Tomatometer: 52%

-- Compiled by Joshua Hartwig from rottentomatoes.com