Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead

Reviewed by Holly Bartges

Have you ever looked at a group of little kids all cute and funny and adorable and wonder what they’re going to be like when they’re in high school? Or ever look at a group of high schoolers and wonder what happened to the cute, funny, adorable little kids they must have been? I have, and do whenever the opportunity arises.

Steven J. Burge as Beethoven and Elgin Kelley as CB’s Sister in Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead now showing at the Avenue Theater.

But who would combine sex, drugs, rock n roll, sexual identity, and psychiatric trauma with the beloved Peanuts gang we’ve been laughing with and at since 1950?

In 1960 Charles Schultz was invited to speak to the students at San Francisco Theological Seminary. Some of the intellectuals who claimed to know all there was about God laid in wait to impress everyone with their astute intellectual questions to prove how smart they were and not so smart this complex but simple cartoonist. One pounced as soon as he had the chance challenging Schultz to the question “why do you not include adults in your column.” Without blinking and eye, or missing a beat, Schultz held out his left arm holding his thumb and forefinger two inches apart, and softly replied, “I couldn’t figure out how to include an adult in this much space.” Laughter and applause in appreciation for Schultz followed, and the intellectual theologian melted into the background.

In a brilliant and ingenious moment of desperation, Bert V. Royal found solace in Blockhead Charlie Brown whose kite always managed to get stuck in a tree, could never kick a football, was followed around by a leaky cloud, and continuously ridiculed by smart-mouthed Lucy Van Pelt. Out of imagination ramblings developed Royal’s first and only play to date Dog Sees God featuring the beloved Peanuts gang all grown up. Although the names are somewhat disguised, there is no question as to who they are.

Under the magical direction of Nick Sugar and produced by Dave Johnson and Robert Wells, Dog Sees God turns the Avenue theatre into a monumental experience of empathetic humor of the Peanuts gang in a teen-age world of sexual identity crises, confusion, drugs, rock n roll, and psychiatric discombobulation.

When the house lights go down, a spotlight reveals CB at loose ends aching for consolation and not finding it. Somewhere behind the perfected facade is Jack Wefso. He has just discovered his beloved dog has died. The beagle that always responded to the call of suppertime with a celebratory dance didn’t. CB finds the dog in his doghouse dead from rabies having eaten his good friend, a little yellow bird. Yes, the dog had his shots, but once in a while the shots don’t work.

CB is in the midst of writing to his Pen Pal, the pen pal he wrote to from the time he was very young and never heard from, but now just wants someone to listen to him.

Inviting his friends to the funeral for his dog in the backyard, the only one who shows up is his sister brilliantly portrayed by Elgin Kelley. In identity crises of her own, changing personalities daily, CB’s sister shows up dressed like Elvira the Mistress of the Dark. She thinks a prayer of some kind should be said but neither one knows how to construct one.

Against a brick wall, Van strongly under the influence of pot attempts an apology as to why he wasn’t at the funeral. The death of his dog leaves CB wondering what happens when we die? Jeremy Make provides an astonishing realistic smothered in humor performance of Van. He misses his blanket even though his sister and CB burned the blanket two months ago they gave Van the ashes, which he smoked. In a far away out of worldly gaze, Van smiles “Now me and my blanket are one.” Strung out as he may be, Van throughout the play provides incredible wisdom to CB.

CB’s best friend Matt, magnificently portrayed by Kent Randell, continues to carry the Pig Pen identity hidden as a swaggering macho football hero.

Steven J. Burge plays a piano genius carrying heavy books finds himself shunned by everyone accused of being gay goes by the name of Beethoven. CB hasn’t seen Beethoven in years, becomes aware of the cruelty he suffers from accusations, takes it upon himself to mend the broken fences, invites him to Marcy’s party, and does something completely out of character for the ever-predictable-falling- on-his-face CB.

Van’s Sister has been institutionalized out of jealousy over CB’s attraction to the Little Red Headed Girl setting her hair on fire. With a crude sign hanging on the wall of her padded cell reading “The Doctor Is In.” Karen Slack takes the breath away with her animated deliberate performance to rival any drama queen.

Amanda Earls plays Tricia, better known as Peppermint Patty, with long curly locks in a devil may care dumb blond attitude as she ponders in the school lunchroom what a marvelous invention the spork is. Nearly connected to the hip with Marcy the two Barbie type Valley Girls giggle their way through clothes and boys and superficial acts of society. Missy Moore takes on Marcy with flippant exhilaration. Inseparable Earls and Moore are more fun than a bowl of monkeys.

Frivolity for the sake of frivolity with teenagers turns cruel, and cruelty begs for disastrous tragedy, and tragedy is what they get bringing them all up short discovering that growing up is sometimes hard to do. Even teenagers with loose ends hanging from their pockets can find themselves in the realm of compassionate adult wisdom.

Throughout the flamboyant shenanigans of the multi-twisted teenagers, CB continues to ask, “what happens when we die?” gleaning flippant responses since the initial question spikes from the death of a dog. The question takes on a different costumed appeal when the question burns holes in their soul over a tragedy they created and could have stopped but didn’t. These characters will never be the same.

The exceptionally talented cast gives depth to the already brilliant piece of writing. Tina Anderson’s simple but direct set design lends itself to comic strip memorabilia and practical teenage reality. Lighting designed by Seth Alison dances with the spontaneous flexibility of mood changes. Johnson’s sound and projections with Scott Alan Smith and DJ Craig C’s music wraps the package of laughter with and at, surprise, unexpected antics, heartbreak, loneliness, despair coupled with a realistic sense of hope not only for these characters but also for the world at large in an unsettled Universe.

Dog Sees God is an absolute must see, must experience for the content it unravels, for the magnificent characterizations developed by the astonishing cast, for the magical direction, for the incredible sense of unity of being a part of one carries when walking out of the theatre.

Does the Dog see God? Oh, you bet, and so does everyone else.