"With the exception of Milly Shapiro, who is a spot-on delight as Sally, all of the actors seemed to need a lot more directing from Michael Unger, whose task here is formidable...Pulling off this show requires knowing that...these characters are both naïvely young and preternaturally adult. Little of that was in evidence at the performance I saw...There is a fair amount of complexity in these seemingly simple characters, which is why 'Charlie Brown' is best when performed by adults."
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"The seven young performers in 'Charlie Brown'...have more impressive resumes than most adult actors...The staging isn’t much better or worse than any of the thousands of other amateur productions of 'Charlie Brown.' The kids are all very talented but they have trouble handling the vocal arrangements and virtually all of the comedy and psychological insight has gotten lost. That said, I was delighted to see so many kids in the audience of an off-Broadway show."
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"Unger's production loses the gleeful winks that gave the original productions their humor. When presented earnestly, the show doesn't quite work...It feels like a more disturbing look at a desperately unhappy youth and his awful pals. But the kids give it their all, especially Colley, who in the title role is thoroughly heartbreaking while still finding sweet, affable humor in Charlie...Overall, this iteration feels like a production at an arts-based middle school, which isn't a bad thing."
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"It's the revised version that the York has mounted with a charming and talented cast of kid actors...Naturally, there are some inherent problems with the concept. There are cases where the songs don't sound completely comfortable in developing voices and much of the humor is lost because the young actors don't always seem to know what their lines mean, often racing through the clever material. That's not to say that director Michael Unger's sunny and sweet production isn't enjoyable."
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"It must have seemed like an inspired idea to employ real children...but it's inimical to the original material...The reason 'Charlie Brown' always worked is that the show grasps something essential about the 'Peanuts' world: Schulz's characters are really angst-ridden adults in miniature, more Kierkegaard than kindergarten...A cast of children, no matter how technically skilled, are hopelessly overmatched...In trying to literalize Schulz's world, Unger and company have killed the joke."
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"Adults make more convincing children than adolescent actors do...This is one issue with this entertaining but rocky new revival...The songs convey a warm and winning, yet clear-eyed, youthfulness in line with Schulz's worldview…But the actors, through no fault of their own, are just not up to this…As fine as the show is, and as game as the still-developing cast members clearly are, this particular production cannot quite overcome the fact that it's at once too young and not young enough."
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"This entertaining revival has the novelty of being performed by a cast of lively professional child performers...Director Michael Unger and choreographer Jennifer Paulson-Lee have staged the historic comic strip with small-scale flair. The performances and dancing are of high caliber and the scenes swiftly and effectively shift onward...The show ends with the resonant ode to childhood innocence, 'Happiness.' Hearing actual children sing it is a moving conclusion to this special incarnation."
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"The clarity of kids’ speaking/singing voices can be high pitched and screaming, at times, to an adult ear so listen up with care. Be that as it may, these kids are all A+ talent…The most endearing of them all is Charlie’s adorable and loving dog Snoopy (Aidan Gemme)…This 'Charlie Brown' should have great appeal to the small set who will discover or rediscover simple life lessons and the wonders of Peanuts characters. The nostalgia aspect for the grown-ups is a definite feel-good."
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