“Beware the ides of March” (read: mark your calendars). This year, the ides of March bring the annual Wawasee High School March musical.

For 2014, the WHS Theater Department will be putting on the Tony award-winning “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown.” And, yes, that’s Charlie Brown, the bald, lovable loser from the Charles Schulz “Peanuts” comic strips.

“I have been thinking about this show for a long time,” said Cyndi Thornburg, director of the play. “The edition we are doing is the latest one that was on Broadway, winning Tonys not too long ago!”

“It follows a long line of huge (50 plus people) musicals in the past years,” Thornburg said. “We were ready for a smaller show and this one is one of my favorites.”

“You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” is known for its small cast and simple set. The Broadway play featured only six characters. The WHS production is a little larger.

“We delved into the list of available Schultz cartoon kids and added several more,” said Thornburg. “They help in the big scenes and help to take props and set pieces on and off the stage.”

Don’t be fooled by the plays simplicity. This is still a full-on theater performance with acting, singing and dancing.

“One of the little known facts is that this is a really difficult musical to sing and play,” Thornburg said. “There are some easy ways to stage this show, but we chose the more dramatic setting of various levels on the set.”

As is the case with many of Schulz’s stories, children are used to explore existential themes. In “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown,” the title character searches for what it means to be a good man.

The two-act musical plays out as a series of vignettes. Audiences get to observe the various relationships between the lovable characters as they figure out what makes each of them happy.

For musical accompaniment, Thornburg said there will be a keyboardist and percussionist. It’s a small ensemble, but the music is live, no recordings, and the students are excited to perform these timeless tunes.

“A lot of the kids are ‘theater rats’,” said Thornburg. “So they knew many of the songs and situations ahead of time.”

Performances for “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” are set for 7 p.m. tonight and tomorrow, March 15, and 3 p.m. Sunday, March 16. Tickets are $10 for adults, $8 for senior citizens and $7 for kids through grade 12.

Tickets can be ordered by calling the WHS office at 574-457-3147.