Photo provided The “Charlie Brown Christmas” cast rehearse a scene, left to right: Vivian Littell (Sherry); Gretchen Gibson (Lucy); London Clayton (Sally); Landon Ammerman (Schroeder); Ruby Truesdel (Frieda); Felix Bott (Pig Pen); Charlie Kingswell (Linus); Liam Duff (Charlie Brown).
NORTH VERNON — The lovable “Peanuts” gang and Thornton Wilder’s one act play will soon come to life on stage as the Jennings County Players present “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and “The Long Christmas Dinner.”
The plays will premiere on a double bill from Friday, Dec. 13 to Sunday, Dec. 14 at the First United Methodist Church in North Vernon. Friday and Saturday’s shows begin at 7 p.m., while Sunday’s matinee show will begin at 2 p.m. Tickets are available at Pfeiffer’s Jewelry at 226 E Walnut St. in North Vernon. Tickets cost $10 for adults, $5 for kids five to 12 and a free will donation for kids under five.
Based on the popular TV special adapted from Charles Schulz’s comic strip, “A Charlie Brown Christmas,” directed by Tom Taylor, follows Charlie Brown, Lucy, Linus, Snoopy and the rest of the “Peanuts” gang as they discover the true meaning of Christmas.
Taylor said he had never seen “A Charlie Brown Christmas” on TV prior to selecting it for this production, but he immediately took to it after seeing a stage presentation on YouTube. He said he is enjoying working with a cast of enthusiastic children.
“It is a fun play with recognized characters, catchy songs and an uplifting message,” Taylor said.
Then on the same program in a double bill, the Players will present “The Long Christmas Dinner,” written by Pulitzer prize winner Thornton Wilder. The play emphasizes the fragile continuity of human existence, compressing 90 years of one family’s joy and grief, growth and decline into a series of Christmas dinners.
“The play reminds me of photos of Christmas dinners at my grandma’s house – the only way to tell the years apart is by hair styles and by which baby is in the high chair at the corner of the table,” director Ralph Rohrer said.
The Jennings County Players previously performed “The Long Christmas Dinner” in November 1972. Rohrer is directing a cast of talented actors well known to local audiences, including Abby Gaines, Alden Rudicel, Andi Crater, Daphne Talkington, Megan Sherrill and several others.
