MELBOURNE, Fla. – According to Sally Brown, “Christmas is getting all you can get while the getting is good.”
This weekend, “A Charlie Brown Christmas: Live On Stage!” from the American Theatre Guild will bring the Emmy and Peabody award-winning story by Charles M. Schulz to life.
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The performance celebrates the television classic that first aired more than 50 years ago.
The story follows Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus and the rest of the Peanuts characters in their journey to discover the true meaning of Christmas.
Leah Windahl will be playing Lucy in the performance at the King Center in Melbourne on Sunday. She said she has been into acting since she was 8 years old. She first auditioned for the show in 2021. She did the New York sit-down production that year, and then she was asked to return this year.
What inspired her to audition? Windahl says she has a special connection to Charlie Brown.
“I really loved The Peanuts growing up — we had books of the comic strips and they were one of the things I devoured when I was first learning to read, and we watched the specials every year. Obviously as an actor you’re excited to get any job, but it’s been super rewarding to be a part of something that was so important to me as a kid,” Windahl said.
She said rehearsals on the show started in late October. They rehearsed for about two weeks before going go Wyoming for technical rehearsals. Since they’re on tour, whenever they get into a new theatre, they also do a space rehearsal to make sure everything will work on that stage.
“Personally, I run over one of my monologues every day, but mostly because I am superstitious and worried I might forget,” Windahl said.
She said especially when she was growing up, she feels as though she can relate to her character, Lucy.
“I (perhaps unfortunately) think I was a lot like Lucy as a kid, so she isn’t a huge reach for me to play. I like to think I’m a bit… nicer, but I really understand the way that she needs to be in charge,” Windahl explained.
After the final bow, the show will have a celebration of songs and the audience will be invited to join in on the fun and sing along.
For Windahl, her favorite part is the beginning.
“My favorite part of the show is the opening number! And I love the Christmas play. In our show you actually get to see the Christmas play that the kids put on and it’s lots of fun,” she exclaimed.
Windahl said the audience can expect to get into the holiday spirit, and if she could play any other character, it would be Snoopy.
“He is very funny and gets a lot of laughs! The kids love him.”
You can purchase tickets here, that’s also where you can buy an add-on that includes a meet-and-greet with the cast, a photo opportunity, and other merchandise.
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