RiverCenter to host ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas Live!’

The week before Christmas, the RiverCenter for the Performing Arts will host three performances of “A Charlie Brown Christmas, Live!” The show is based on the Emmy and Peabody award-winning story by Charles Schulz and features the classic Vince Guaraldi score.

More than 50 years ago, “A Charlie Brown Christmas” aired on television, and since then the story has been a holiday favorite for millions of families. Now, the story comes to the stage and brings with it Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of Schulz’ beloved Peanuts characters.

Norm Easterbrook, RiverCenter’s executive director, is looking forward to bringing “A Charlie Brown Christmas Live!” to a Columbus audience. “This is a show that will be great for the entire family,” he said. “If you are at all nostalgic about watching this iconic television show each season, you can enjoy the added dimension of it being performed by actors playing your favorite Charlie Brown animated characters.”

In addition to the classic characters coming to life, Easterbrook is excited to hear a live performance of the jazz score. “Making this performance even more special is the fact that the enduring jazz soundtrack will be played live from the stage,” Easterbrook said.

This production is brought to the RiverCenter as a part of its Synovus Center Stage Series. The score by Vince Guaraldi contributed to this production being presented in partnership with the Columbus Jazz Society. A grant from the Columbus Culture Arts Alliance and the Columbus Convention and Visitors Bureau also played a part in bringing this tour through Columbus.

RiverCenter has made arrangements for a pre-show lecture about the show’s beloved jazz score. “We are pleased that our audiences can come early for a brief talk about the music behind Charlie Brown and how it came to be,” Easterbrook said. The pre-show lecture will be given by Jan Hyatt and is free.

Hyatt will speak on the history and the genius behind Guaraldi’s jazz score. Attendees can learn what to expect when they hear the score played live during the show.

Easterbrook and his staff are confident that this will be a perfect way for audience members to get in the holiday spirit. “The evening will be a great opportunity to sit back, relax and get lost for a moment or two in the universal warmth of the holidays,” Easterbrook said.

RiverCenter is offering half-priced tickets for children under 12 year of age for this show. Tickets are on sale through the box office, which is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. For more information, call the box office at 706-256-3612 or visit www.rivercenter.org.

This story was originally published December 10, 2017 at 1:14 AM with the headline "RiverCenter to host ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas Live!’."