"Happiness" is not just finding a pencil or climbing a tree, it's also Clayton High School's wonderful production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!

Originally premiering off-Broadway in 1967, You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown is a quaint, adorable show following the characters of the original Peanuts comic strip, created by Charles M. Schulz. The lovable, classic characters are shown in the musical through vignettes, allowing for each character to shine in their own miniature plot lines.

In Clayton's production, despite being small, the cast had huge amounts of energy and was able to keep the audience having fun and laughing. During the song "Suppertime," Snoopy, along with the rest of the cast, kept up their high energy and brought the audience to the biggest applause of the entire show. The closing number, "Happiness," on the other hand, was much slower and the cast's friendship and closeness reminded the audience of the heartwarming message of the original Peanuts stories.

Lorenzo Valles as Charlie Brown perfectly portrayed the iconic character's relatable and lovable traits. His outstanding acting talents also shone throughout the show with his especially long monologues which he nailed every word of, keeping up accurate and engaging emotions with each and every line. Mikayla Kellum, playing Lucy, had an extremely strong presence on stage that captured Lucy's loud and bossy energy amazingly. Lucy's solo song "Schroeder" highlighted Kellum's strong vocals and comedic timing as she showed off Lucy's slightly annoying personality.

The other classic Peanuts characters were equally as delightful and captivating on stage. Schroeder's (Elijah Ortiz) exceptional vocals blew the audience away in "Beethoven Day," Sally's (Briel Davis-McCoy) know-it-all comedy and lovely solo in "My New Philosophy" was immensely impressive, and Linus's (Liz Hampton) endearing and sweet disposition allowed him to easily win the hearts of the audience. But, it was Snoopy (William Pedrick) who, just like in the cartoon, became a fan favorite throughout the show. Pedrick's lively and witty acting choices were perfect for the role and stood out during "Suppertime." It was this number that also allowed Pedrick's joyful and energetic dancing to have its moment, bringing another level of liveliness to the show.

Clayton's stage crew was extraordinary, adapting to the show's strange layout by straying from the traditional all-black attire and blending into the cast to make the show look ten times smoother. The sets were also incredibly well made, adopting a pleasing, cartoonish style to mimic the show's roots. They were also incredibly creative, making a hand-made comic strip into the backdrop of the show and building a self-moving dog house for Snoopy's song, "The Red Baron."

Following this production of You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown "My New Philosophy" is that everyone needs to see a production by Clayton High School!