Fun fact: This past Tuesday happened to be the birthday of Charles Schultz’s famous cartoon beagle Snoopy. And what better way to celebrate than by seeing the Forestburgh Playhouse’s whimsical, energetic and joyous production of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” directed and choreographed by Banji Aborisade.

Filled with toe-tapping numbers and spectacular dancing, the production was led by Renell Taylor playing title character Charlie Brown. Taylor inhabited the self-conscious “lovable loser” Charlie Brown who overthinks and doubts himself and his likability throughout the show while trying to strike up the courage to do a number of things: talk to the little red haired girl, give Lucy a Valentine, win a baseball game. Taylor can sing, dance and shines in this role, bringing Charlie Brown to life with every note he sings and every “good grief” uttered. I really enjoyed his tongue-twisting performance of “The Kite” and his narration to Charlie Brown’s pen pal about “The Baseball Game.”

Each scene acts like the comic strip giving us a glimpse into the characters and their interactions with each other. Elise Shangold and John Zamborsky play Lucy and Linus Van Pelt respectively and their bickering and fights over Linus’ blue blanket provide many laughs. Shangold wows with “Schroeder”, mooning over the wiz kid musician (played by Ethan Van Slyke) and in “Little Known Facts” as the ‘knowledgeable’ older sister teaching her little brother.

Zamborsky is humorous balancing Linus’ know-it-all tendencies with the insecure little boy who has a panic attack after taking steps away from his beloved blue blanket. He was wonderful in “My Blanket and Me” which showcased the dance captain’s skill leading the cast in a dance number with only the title blanket as his dance partner. It was truly enjoyable to watch.

Ethan Van Slyke as Schroeder brings not only classical music into the mix, but also a rocking performance of “Beethoven Day”. Van Slyke and Taylor impressed me with their dancing in the Diamond Revue that opened the season, and the two get to wow audiences again in this show but especially at the end of Beethoven Day.

Susana Wickstrom was hilarious as Charlie Brown’s little sister Sally with her wild mood swings and forceful beliefs. Her interludes had me in stitches, whether she was questioning the rationale of her teacher or semi-encouraging her big brother to be the ‘bench’ manager of their little league team. She really stole most of the scenes she was in, but the pinnacle was her and Snoopy’s (Andrew Faria) comedic rabbit chase during the Act I finale “The Book Report.” Wickstrom’s high note at the end of the song was a show stopper.

Andrew Faria truly stole the show as everyone’s favorite cartoon beagle and flying ace extraordinaire, Snoopy. Whether he was on top of his dog house narrating his chase of the Red Baron, reminiscing on his wonderful life in “Snoopy”, or “biting the runner and catching the ball with his teeth” on the baseball field, Faria was spectacular. If you’re a dog owner and ever wondered what your pup is thinking, his little interactions with the other characters complete with narration will make you laugh and his performance of “Suppertime” was a great spotlight on Faria’s dancing skills and vocal talent.

The cast, while strong individually, were even stronger together, and their final performance of “Happiness” was touching and hopeful. A true reminder that even today happiness can be found in the tiniest, everyday things and “anyone or anything at all that’s loved by you.” This final number answers Charlie Brown’s question: “Is he a good man?” The answer comes from the unlikeliest source, Lucy, and was beautifully performed by Taylor and Shangold and while I don’t know about the rest of the audience, it definitely brought tears to my eyes.

“You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown” runs through August 15th on the main stage at 8 pm Friday and Saturday Night, with a matinee on Sunday at 3 pm. Tickets and info are available online at fbplayhouse.org or by calling the box office at (845) 794-1194.