TO SCHULZ WITH LOVE: ECU Summer Theatre closes with a 'Charlie Brown' production

Jim Poulos and Marcus Olson share a lifelong passion for Peanuts.

As a youngster growing up in Novato, Calif., Poulos celebrated several birthdays at the Charles Schulz skating rink in Santa Rosa, Calif.

"I was just a half an hour south of there. I guess they built this skating rink because his daughter was an ice skater," Poulos recalls. "They had animated stained-glass windows around the rink. Characters come up and say hi, and they have special Peanuts-themed birthday cake."

Olson, meanwhile, has devoured everything he could find on lovable loser Charlie Brown, cantankerous Lucy, imagination-fueled Snoopy, blanket-obsessed Linus and all of Schulz's other cartoon creations as long as he can remember. The comic strip is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

"When I first learned how to read, I was reading the Charlie Brown comics," Olson says. "I feel like I've been immersed in Charlie Brown since I was born."

The two devout Peanuts fans will demonstrate their love for Schulz and company Tuesday when East Carolina Summer Theatre presents "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown." The musical comedy will be staged through July 22 at McGinnis Theatre on the ECU campus. Olson will direct; Poulos, who recently ended a Broadway stint in "Rent," will portray the beloved, beleaguered, never-say-die title character.

The show is based on the Broadway production that premiered in 1967. Schulz reportedly loved the idea of actors breathing life into his animated offspring. Critics and audiences alike agreed: Since its debut, it has become one of the world's most popular musicals, spawning 13 national and 15 international companies and a Hallmark Hall of Fame TV production, according to the show's Web site.

Olson, who has directed ECU productions of "The Mystery of Edwin Drood," "Cabaret" and "The Music Man," seized the opportunity to put his stamp on "Charlie Brown." He previously worked several seasons in Vermont summer theater with Clark Gesner, who wrote the show's book, music and lyrics. He also has performed in small-scale versions of show, first as Snoopy, then as Schroeder.

This version, Olson says, features traditional musical theater numbers and a series of vignettes that allow the quirky characters to display their personalities. David Wanstreet, who choreographed the Summer Theatre's recent production of "The King and I," returns to create spirited steps for the Peanuts gang.

Olson compares the show to "Ain't Misbehavin'," the Summer Theatre's Fats Waller song-and-dance sensation he directed last year. "It also has a little bit of a feel of a revue, but this is just with more identifiable characters."

Expect to see a larger-than-life set with larger-than-life costumes, Olson says, as well as lots of bright, saturated colors.

But don't expect to see a virtually bald Charlie Brown, he adds.

"We're not going to shave (Poulos) or use a cap. You kind of just do a little kid hairdo, like parted on the side and just kind of combed over," Olson says. "We're not really making any effort to completely reconstruct the actor. I think it's important that we connect with (the characters) as human beings, but within the parameters of cartoon characters."

A coda of sorts allows Charlie Brown to pay homage to Schulz, who died this year on the eve of his final strip's publication.

"It's not fireworks; it's just a little subtle reminder that Schulz is no longer with us," Olson says. "I think this show personifies him and the characters, and he was very fond of the show."

Poulos, who saw the musical's Broadway revival in 1999, is eager try Charlie Brown on for size. He sees similarities between himself and the character.

"There's an earnestness about where Charlie Brown stands, and I think I share that with him," he says. "No matter what his position ... the bottom line is he really cares about every little thing that he does."

Part of Charlie Brown's appeal, Poulos says, is his determination to pursue goals -- no matter how unattainable. Whether running toward that elusive football or going door-to-door for evasiveHalloween treats, the low-key kid never lost hope.

"He's a lovable loser. That's kind of how it goes. He tries his darndest, but he just can't seem to put it all together.

"He doesn't learn from his mistakes -- that's something that I share," Poulos says, laughing. "And there's a little streak of self-doubt in me, and there's definitely that in Charlie Brown."

Unlike Schulz's lovable loser, the twentysomething Poulos has experienced success. After graduating from the Pacific Conservatory for the Performing Arts in Santa Maria, Calif., he spent five years performing regularly in regional theater. In 1997, he auditioned for Broadway's Tony- and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical "Rent."

"After a couple of days, they called me and said, ‘Can you be in New York tomorrow?'" Poulos says. "And I said ‘Uh, sure.' Actually, I said, ‘Can I think about it?' and I waited, like, a minute, then called them back and said, ‘Yeah, I can do that.'"

Poulos spent 2 1/2 years in the role of Mark Cohen, an aspiring filmmaker who also narrates the story of free spirits living, loving and facing death in a funky urban village teeming with the ever-increasing specter of AIDS. The original production gained instant legendary status when its creator, Jonathan Larson, died of an aortic aneurysm on the eve of its debut.

Poulos' post-"Rent" life has been filled with auditions and preparation for upcoming theater projects. In September, he'll play Huck Finn in a Forth Worth, Texas, production of "Big River." He also has a role in the world premiere musical "Convenience" in Rochester, N.Y.

First up, however, is his August 15 wedding to New York actress Melissa Rain Anderson.

"I'm not being too picky right now," he says. "‘Rent' kind of put me in a different casting pool, so I'm just trying to build a resume of principal roles."

Poulos learned about the Summer Theatre's "Charlie Brown" from his agent. He decided to audition at the urging of Manley Pope, an ECU graduate who appeared with him in "Rent" for about a year.

"When I told him I was auditioning, he said ‘Oh yeah, it's my alma mater, it's a great place to work. There's lots of great people there.'

"I just got a good feeling about it," Poulos says. "And they treat everybody in the cast very well. It's just good."

For Olson, the production is a swan song. When the show closes, he'll leave to become head of the acting program at Michigan State University.

As coordinator of the BFA musical theatre program at ECU, Olson departs with mixed emotions.

"I definitely have regrets leaving this program, because I think it's a good program, a good department, and I've really enjoyed the productions I've been able to work on here," he says. "The support for the shows -- not only from the university and the department, but from the community, too -- it's been a thrill. I've learned a lot."

IF YOU GO

What: "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown"

Where: McGinnis Theatre on the ECU campus

When: Shows will be presented at 8 p.m. Tuesday through July 22. A 2 p.m. matinee also will be presented at 2 p.m. July 22

Cost: Tickets are $22.50, $27.50 and $32.50 for the general public; $20, $25 and $30 for senior citizens and ECU faculty/staff; and $10, $12.50 and $15 for youths and ECU students