Tacoma Musical Playhouse's TMP Honor Camp presents the fourth annual A Charlie Brown Christmas, adapted for the stage from the popular television show based on the "Peanuts" comic strips by Charles Schultz. It is directed and choreographed by Deanna Martinez.

Honor Camp is a program open to any Camp TMP performer who has previously participated in one of the Camp TMP programs. Unlike TMP's other children's programs, this program is tuition-free and only about 20 select performers are cast.

In A Charlie Brown Christmas, Charlie Brown, Lucy, Snoopy and the rest of the "Peanuts" gang discover the true meaning of Christmas.

His usual melancholy, put-upon self, Charlie Brown (13-year-old Barrett Stowe) bemoans the commercialization of Christmas and turns to Lucy (Hannah Hadjes, 15) for psychiatric advice ("The doctor is in, five cents") because he is depressed. Lucy suggests he needs to get involved in Christmas activities and asks him to direct the Christmas play, which he does with absolutely no cooperation from the kids who are in the play.

It is a short play, less than an hour with no intermission and including audience singalong Christmas carols at the end with the entire cast on stage, and in the aisles and lyrics to the songs printed in the program.

If you are going, you should not expect professional-level acting, but you should expect and will see actors with promise, some of whom you can expect to develop into top-notch actors in the near future. Cast members range in age from 7 to 15.

Audrey Stowe, as Charlie Brown's sister Sally, looks to be a natural actor. She is 10 years old and this is her fifth show with Camp TMP. She inhabits the character of Sally without any sign of straining to act the part.

The oldest cast member Hadjes, at 15, displays her maturity as the autocratic Lucy.

Nigel Kelly is outstanding as Linus. He is one of the few cast members whose age is not listed in the program.

Twelve-year-old Mia Hyke proves a girl can play the part of Snoopy quite convincingly.

Kekoa Dilay sings beautifully and plays Beethoven-loving Schroeder with grace and poise. I expect to see him as a leading man in mainstage productions before too many years have passed.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is a simple show with good humor and the grown-up wisdom expected of "Peanuts" characters. Bring the kids and get a sneak peek yourself at the future of musical theater in Tacoma. Christmas as celebrated in this play is a very Christian holiday. Parents of Jewish or Muslim children, or any other religion or of no religion, should be aware that this play leans heavily on the Christian story of the birth of Christ.

A Charlie Brown Christmas, 7 p.m. Dec. 22-23, and 11 a.m. Dec. 24, $10, Tacoma Musical Playhouse at The Narrows Theatre, 7116 Sixth Ave., Tacoma, 253.565.6867, tmp.org