Delightful ‘Snoopy’ Gives Paws for Thought

To gain insight, you must observe. To observe, you need time and experience. Dogs have a lot of time on their hands and can chalk up experience if their owners remember to leave the gates unlocked. Ergo, dogs are insightful observers of life.

Sounds pretty reasonable, doesn’t it? It will seem even more so after you see Broadway on Tour’s “Snoopy,” a delightful one-act musical that, like the Charles Schulz “Peanuts” comic strip that inspired it, demonstrates that dogs--and kids too--have some surprisingly perceptive things to say if we’re willing to give them a listen.

Directed by BOT founder Dan Halkyard, “Snoopy” continues Saturdays and Sundays through April 14 at the Grove Theater Center’s Gem Theatre. (There are no performances March 16 and 17).

“Snoopy,” like “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown,” is fairly familiar among high school drama students, but it is rare to see it produced for younger children, primarily because of the characters’ tendencies to wax philosophical at lengths perhaps too great to hold the attention of kids in lower grades.

However, with some discretionary trimming of the script by Halkyard, nine bright musical numbers and vivid costumes and cartoonish props to keep things lively, this “Snoopy” is kid-friendly for ages 5 and up.

*

Presented as a series of vignettes, the hourlong show revives many of the story lines and themes of the old “Peanuts” strips. Love--mostly of the unrequited kind if you don’t count the thing Linus has for his blanket--is a recurring theme. Ever neurotic Charlie Brown moons over the little red-haired girl; bullheaded Lucy employs guerrilla methods to catch Schroeder’s eye. Even poor Snoopy isn’t immune: “Mother’s Day,” his musical ode to the mom and puppyhood he left behind at Daisy Hill Puppy Farm, is a rousing, campy tune with a little melancholy bite.

Indeed, if you look beyond the snappy pacing and Jeff Teague’s bouncy, inspired choreography, you’ll find that most of the tunes in this show carry messages that can be construed in any number of ways, depending on the listener’s age and perspective.

Most of the show’s philosophizing is done via songs (such as “When Do the Good Things Start?” and “Don’t Be Anything Less Than You Can Be”) and dance instead of preachy dialogue. To keep the little ones keyed in, Halkyard has beefed up the physical comedy elements of the show and enhanced the scenes between between Snoopy and his feathered pal, Woodstock.

*

Technical problems were somewhat distracting at the opening performance, especially the lighting, which often left at least one or two characters practically in the dark. But Halkyard’s 10- to 18-year-old cast members worked wonderfully as an ensemble while retaining a firm grip on their individual characters, especially in the musical numbers.

Alexander Rodriguez, one of the strongest singers in the vocally talented group, shines as the chronically insecure Charlie Brown. Rebecca Rainboldt’s Snoopy and Julie Holden’s Woodstock are a scene-stealing pair whenever they’re on stage (siblings will be sure to catch the duo’s sly one-upmanship). Jennifer Robinson’s Sally Brown is a ditsy debutante in training with a heart as golden as her favorite frock, and Paul Detrick’s Pig Pen trails dust clouds and placid insights wherever he goes.

* “Snoopy,” Grove Theater Center’s Gem Theatre, 12852 Main St., Garden Grove. Saturdays and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. through April 14 (except March 16 and 17). $6 to $8. (714) 741-9550. Running time: one hour.

Rebecca Rainboldt: Snoopy

Julie Holden: Woodstock

Stevie Zimmerman: Lucy Van Pelt

Suzanne Wachman: Marcie

Alexander Rodriguez: Charlie Brown

Jennifer Robinson: Sally Brown

Elizabeth Ginnett: Peppermint Patty

Paul Detrick: Pig Pen

Keith Collins: Linus Van Pelt

Luis Avila: Schroeder

A Broadway on Tour production based on “Peanuts,” a comic strip by Charles M. Schulz. Book by Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, Warren Lockhart, Arthur Whitelaw and Michael Grace. Music by Larry Grossman. Lyrics by Hal Hackaday. Directed by Daniel Halkyard. Producer: Terry Dancer. Vocal director: Laurie Hancock. Choreographer: Jeff Teague. Costumes: Terry Dancer. Sets: Paul & Laurie Holden, Kathi Koehler. Lighting design: Erik Koehler. Stage manager: Erik Koehler.