#tonightsbill: A Charlie Brown Christmas LIVE

Last Friday I had the distinct pleasure of attending the National Tour of "A Charlie Brown Christmas Live." I'll be the first to say I have not always been the biggest fan of the Peanuts, or their holiday specials.  I'm more of a Rankin and Bass girl, but I truly enjoyed this production and would go so far as to say it is the best screen to stage adaptation I have ever seen. 

I am of the long-standing opinion that when viewing a piece in a medium other than it's original you should go in with as open a mind as possible and be prepared for the alterations and additions which that usually entails.  With no strong feelings of love for the Peanuts going in, I was here for whatever they had prepared for me, and I was ready to enjoy it! 

One of the things that keep me from enjoying the Peanuts more, I think, is the lack of dialogue.  As a musical child, I wanted more scenes, more songs, more drama!  As a pleasure ready adult, I was both pleased and surprised to see this lack of dialogue maintained in the stage adaptation.  It was beautiful to watch the players glide about on their skates to the iconic music and to see them bust out those signature Peanuts dance moves. It gave me such a sense of joy and pleasure. 

The attention to detail in the costumes and sets was also remarkable.  Schroeder actually sat, and played, at a tiny piano! 😱 And Snoopy's doghouse, in all its commercial glory, was exactly as you'd imagine it! I was surprised by the Intermission, expecting a 90-minute piece, but was so glad when the plot was wrapped up and the last 20 minutes turned into a Peanuts/Audience Christmas sing along. There wasn't a kid in the audience who wasn't bouncing in their seat or dancing in the aisles.🎄The stand out performance for me was Snoopy. His Donald O'Connor level movement and physical comedy skills put him a cut above the rest. That is, accept, my adorable and perfect friend Melissa who played Patty in the production. 

I mean 😍!!

Lucky for me, Melissa had 2 hours after the show and before her bus call so we got to go out for a ladies night! And we Ladies Nighted the only way we know how... with burgers, beers, and shakes! 

Who reading this has been to Bailey's Range in St. Louis? This was my first time and I will absolutely be going back. For my New York friends, it has the same feel as Bareburger, but the burgers might be, dare I say, better? I had the PB&J burger, but what really knocked it out of the park for us was the Irish Coffee Milkshake. YUM! 

Until Friday, I hadn't seen Melissa in person since the weekend I left New York in November of last year!  I often cry these days when I get to spend time with my good friends in person, this night was no exception.  I feel so grateful for the technology that keeps us all metaphorically close, but when you get to see and squeeze someone you love up close there's just nothing better. -xo Sydney