The show ran on Broadway for 1597 performances over 4 years.

This updated version has had extra dialogue added by Michael Meyer, with the lyrics modified by Andrew Lippa.

The Murdoch Theatre Company actors, in their last show for the year, bring you this two-hour upbeat sparkling, light-hearted spectacular. There are three performances; for the Thursday and Friday night shows, the curtain rises at 7.00 pm, and on Saturday 3^rd December at the earlier time of 5.30 pm.

The scene is Charlie’s schoolyard. The set is symbolic, being a delightful replica of the cartoon strip that we all love. A background of blue skies, clouds, a lone fir tree, a mailbox and a water hydrant; all painted in primary colours. There is a big, red kennel with a flat area on the roof – where Snoopy sleeps.

On each side of the stage is a 4 x 12 metre high flat, showing reproductions of Peanuts cartoons. In the centre of each flat is a curtained doorway. The set design and much of the artistic construction was by Jess Bennett-Hullin, who had helpers working 18 hour days to meet the deadline.

Stage Manager Meagan Dux controlled the large cast flawlessly. The flies’ operator, Sean Wcislo, was also prompt and efficient.

       Everyone seems to like the dim, shy, insecure Charlie Brown (Oliver Kaiser), but is he really a ‘Good Man’? His friends come out to praise him, but all with reservations. Today he is late for the school bus again, and despite Pig Pen (Mike Casas) holding the bus back, Charlie misses it, watching as his friends Violet (Paige Mews), Tapioca Pudding (Claire Tebbutt), Peppermint Patty (Tijana Šimić), Marcie (Rhiannon Moon), Pig Tail Girl (Briana Dunn), Patty (Isla McLeod), Peggy Jean (Grace Pusey) and Sherman (Justin Crossley) disappear into the distance.

     Snoopy (Thomas Dimmick) just turns over and goes back to sleep on top of his kennel, even when his yellow friend, Woodstock (Nashyhithah MD Zaini) arrives for a chat, he remains asleep.

     Charlie is infatuated with the red-haired girl whom he sees each lunchtime, but cannot even look at her without becoming nervous.

     Musical prodigy, Schroeder (Launcelot Ronzan) is fixated with Beethoven, and constantly plays the ‘Moonlight Sonata’ on his piano. Lucy (Paige Morawiec) adores Schroeder and explains to him how someday she will marry him and become Queen. The Intellect of the class, Linus (Will Moriarty), explains to his sister Lucy, that royalty is inherited – but Lucy is not discouraged. Despite his brains, Linus is a child at heart and is devastated when he mislays his security blanket.

       Charlie’s attractive, but dumb sister Sally (Corina Brown) cannot understand why her art class sculpture, made from coat hangers, only got a ‘D’. To cheer Sally up, Snoopy takes her rabbit hunting, but the ballet dancing bunny (Emily Botje) seems to escape every time.

       Snoopy sits on his kennel, and fanaticises of the years he was a fighter pilot in World War I and how he defeated the infamous Red Baron.

Director, Keaton Howe and his assistant director Claire Mosel had to find a cast that could sing well, dance gracefully and have good stage presence, whilst displaying exuberance and energy throughout the show. What a great cast they gathered. The show’s vocal coach (Thomas Dimmick) ensured the whole cast were speaking precisely and with the same drawl.

With numbers like ‘Linus’ blanket’ and the ‘Beethoven tribute’ combined the choreographers (Kelly Buckle, Sara Bluntish, Emily Botje) demanding routines led by the dance captain, Emily Botje, the tongue twisting lyrics flowed smoothly and the smiles never left the chorus’s faces. Snoopy’s solo number about his food and sloth was hilarious.

The play’s copyrighters supplied the quirky, lively music on CD. This ensured a well-balanced musical accompaniment, but CDs are unforgiving if a performer mixes up their lines or stumbles over a phrase. Musical director (Kelly Buckle) gave the cast vocal and singing guidance; with some of the major performers being talented singers, the musical numbers were perfect. In such a musical, maintaining the characterisation is more important than the vocal range or richness of tones, so that Schroeder, Lucy and Sally were most entertaining.

Jess Bennett-Hullin’s costume designs were well tailored and colour co-ordinated in simple primary colours. A great deal of attention has been given to matching any patterns with the cartoon characters e.g. Charlie’s zigzag shirt design.

Lighting designer and operator, Shannen Precious again gave us the primary colours as sky light, with some delightful effects for a star-lit sky and Snoopy’s fighting plane attacks. Shannon has teamed up well with the sound designer and operator, Katie Southwell to ensure a bright and lively event.

Finally, a quality, comedic delivery was essential. This cast had good chemistry and perfectly captured the essence of the Peanuts cartoons. From Charlie’s deadpan ‘loser’ expression; to his temperamental sister, Sally, who was too thick to realise her failures. With the fine work of the directors the characters really came to life.

This would be the perfect show to bring your kids along to – as an excuse to see it yourself! This very professional musical is for everyone! It is not often these days to have a theatre show that ALL of the family can enjoy – from age 5 to 95.

An absolute delight.

Presented by Phoenix Theatre Inc. and Dark Psychic Productions at the Phoenix Theatre, within the Memorial Hall, 435 Carrington Street, Hamilton Hill; this lively two-hour musical, with almost two dozen number, starts at 8.00 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings until 26^th September. There is a matinee on Sunday 20^th September at 2.00 pm.

All funds raised from the programme and raffle sales each night will be donated to Motor Neurone Disease Association of WA and the Perth Zombie Walk.

     It is Prom night in the 1950s at the Enrico Fermi High. The class heartthrob, Jonny (Oliver Kaiser) is a bit of a rogue. He was called Johnny, until the ‘H’ dropped off the back of his leather jacket. He falls for Toffee (Kathryn McCarthy) and gives her his treasured jacket as a love token. The miserable Principal, Miss Strict (Bethsaida Tapsall), who seems to have a big chip on her shoulder, supervises the Prom. The Prom ends and the janitor (Pat McMahon) cleans up the mess.

     Toffee’s mother (Emma Muller) and father (Daniel Rooney) know of Jonny’s reputation and so ban their meeting again. Furious, Jonny rides off to the local nuclear power plant and commits suicide by throwing himself into the nuclear dump. Months later, Jonny returns as a green, glowing Zombie, repulsing all who knew him.

     The local press are looking for a story and find Jonny. TV reporter Eddie Flagrante (Glenn Scott) does an exposé. On hearing this, Miss Strict threatens Toffee that she must never bring Jonny to a school celebration again. However, Toffee’s friends, Candy (Megan Kerr), Ginger (Jayde Clark) and Coco (Gabrielle Guidone) try to console her. The schoolboys in the group, Jake (Karl Smith), Joey (John Gray) and Josh (Luke Williams) are of course pleased to see Toffee back on the ‘available’ list.

     The TV station has the ‘phones running hot, with the secretaries (Ruby Reye, Maggie Meyer) working overtime. Singer, Ramona Merengue (Sara Urban) is finishing her TV show, as the Motorwise Dancers (Kate Searle, Charlotte Williams, Jasmine Glenister, and Bernadette Ward) finish their routine. As the announcer (Jessica Sullivan) tells of some breaking news, the TV’s floor manager (Ebony Uetake) shows in a special guest.

     Will Jonny find a new love? Why is Miss Strict so miserable? What will happen at the next Prom?

The lively ensemble comprised Noah Slater-Gauci, Nichola Balestri, Jacob Spinks, Sarah-Rose Kelly, Aiden Mellor, and Daniel Muller.

The lighting design (Kate Lloyd, Alex Coutts-Smith) was exceptional, with the new LED lamps being used to their full potential. The musical numbers had numerous lighting changes in time with the beat, coupled with various pattern effects. The smooth sound design and operation was by David Hardie.

With massive casts, the entrances and exits often result in a line building up to get off stage and into the wings, this time the cast were quick, slick and did not impede the set changes.

There were a couple of fun numbers, ‘Rules, Regulations and Respect’ that had a particularly good, complicated dance routine (choreographer Kate Lloyd), and the saucy number ‘Exposé’ which brought a smile.

Once again the director is the wildly adventurous, Ryan S McNally, who with his regular team of Musical Director, Maree Andersen and Choreographer, Kate Lloyd has given us a wonderfully colourful, dynamic show. The story lines are a bit thin, although there a couple of twists at the end, however, the singers and dancers put every drop of enthusiasm and strength into their well-rehearsed performances.

Sheryl Gale and Alison Kovacs created the bright and colourful 1950s costumes, designed by Ryan S. McNally, especially for the show.

This review relates to the final rehearsal, which was admirable and flawless.

Despite the title, there is no gore or horror in this show, and so it is suitable for all of the family. Full of energetic, sparkling songs and good fun.

Shaffer was born in Liverpool in the mid-1920s; despite being Jewish, he went to school at St Paul’s School in London. To replace the miners who had gone to war, Shaffer was conscripted into the coalmines by the Minister of Labour, Ernest Bevan – a Bevan Boy. After the war, he went to live in New York where he started writing. He returned to the UK and became a professor at Oxford, and was then knighted in 2001.

The Melville Theatre Company is presenting this bold and emotive play at the Melville Theatre, on the corner of Stock Highway and Canning Highway in Melville. The two and a quarter hour play has ‘curtain up’ at 8.00 pm on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights until 23^rd May, with a 2.00 pm matinee Sunday 17^th May.

The scene is 1970 Winchester, in the south of England. The open stage shows a magnificent stable with wooden plank walls, and a central horse stall. The roof of the stable is made of 10 cms wood strips with equal spaces between, giving the effect of a complete ceiling but allowing dappled light to flow through. The Jensen family, Jay Shaw, Sean and John Bullock, Jeff Hansen, Peter Bloor, Ross Bertinshaw, Alan Kennedy, and Darren Goodison, constructed this realistic set.

The horses’ heads hang on the wall. Wooden benches are all around the stable, allowing it to become a hospital waiting room and cinema; the cast are seated on these benches throughout the whole production. At the side of the stage, on the apron, to the left is a hospital wardroom, to the right Dr Dysart’s well-furnished consulting room.

Nicola Gredzuik’s horses’ heads are stunning, and even seem to have a personality. Nicola has constructed them using her immense knowledge of millinery. She also chose the costumes of the era, wonderful flared trousers and pleated skirts.

        Martin Dysart (Alan Kennedy) is a weary and lonely hospital psychiatrist, who has become bored dealing with hopeless cases that have no desire to be helped. He is counting the days until he retires and can go to Greece to research the Hellenic history. Dysart begins with a monologue outlining the case of 17-year-old Alan Strang (Oliver Kaiser), and how in doing horrendous deeds, the youth found release from the monotony of his work. We then flash back a year or two.

       Hesther Saloman (Jay Shaw) is the local Magistrate, given the ominous job of dealing with an attack on six horses. She calls at the hospital to see her old psychiatrist friend, Dr Dysart, to have him interview the strange boy who carried out the act.

       The nurse (Sean Bullock) leads the withdrawn and silent boy to Dysart’s consulting room. In the beginning, Alan’s only response to the psychiatrist’s questions was to sing TV jingles and give a cold stare. As a result of this disturbing consultation, that night Dysart had a gruesome dream.

      Next day, when Alan’s parents arrive at the hospital, Dysart hopes to find clarity, only to discover that Strang’s Bible-thumping mother, Dora Strang (Lauren Henderson), is a trained teacher who reads the good book to Alan daily. His father, Frank (Cary Hudson), who is a local printer, is so irritated by the mother that he so preaches atheism to his son.

       Dysart guesses that truthfulness is probably the best approach for this confused youth. He then learns from the young man, how the oppressive father has unknowingly created links between anger, violence and religion in his son’s mind.

       Whilst working in an electrical shop, Alan serves Jill Mason (Elouise Eftos), a young woman that seems to have everything he has not – freedom, vivacity and happiness. When she asks to buy horse clippers, Alan tells her of his equine interest and so she suggests that he applies for a groom’s job at Harry Dalton’s stables where she works. Having no real friends, Alan begins to show a sexual attraction to the horses with their sweaty, muscular bodies. One horse in particular, Nugget (Michael Fagan) which Alan calls ‘Equus’, is his equine God that he rides in his fantasies to kill his enemies.

        Later, when Dr Dysart meets the stable owner (Darren Goodison), he is told that Alan was a great worker who kept the stables immaculate.

       During a consultation, Dysart discovers that Jill had asked Alan to take her to see a porno film at the local cinema, and this is when most of the troubles began.

Rhonda Beresford, Nicola Gredzuik, Kate Hitchins, Helen Jackson and Abbey McCaughan played the horses and ensemble. With their enactment, they brought genuine horror with the attack scene and a broad smile with the cinema snippet.

Lars Jensen is a brave man to tackle such a controversial play, but this he does with aplomb. I have seen the film and two other stage versions of this play, and in all cases, a great deal of emphasis has gone into the grandeur of the production, and promoting the nude scenes.

Lars has given this production the ‘common’ touch, both to the characters in the play and the stable set, most authentic – not the spectacular sets seen elsewhere. You can readily connect to each and every character. Even though Alan is weird, the direction is so sensitive and Oliver’s acting so outstanding, that the storyline is extremely easy to follow. The parents are peculiar, but you can certainly feel for the family’s plight. The doctor / patient relationship is powerful and tangible, congrats also go to Alan Kennedy.

In this production, gone are the two famous nude scenes. Alan rides Nugget fully clothed, but with Lars’ wonderful direction, coupled with his superb lighting and sound effects the audience are left in no doubt as to the erotic relationship between horse and rider. Then the shocking love scene; now the couple are wearing underwear, but once again the atmosphere is electric, with the overall effect being one of exhilaration.

Even without any nudity, this is definitely an adult play. Beautifully acted and presented. A powerful and admirable production, a treat for those who enjoy a quality, award-winning script. Highly recommended – drama at its very best.