Snoopy goes to Heaven
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hen we last saw Charlie Brown, and the Peanuts gang, in the final comic strip by artist Charles Schulz he
was answering the phone, "No, I think he's writing." Snoopy sat atop his dog house at his infamous typewriter
penning the final farewell of his creator, "Dear Friends&" Ever wonder what happened next? Dog Sees God:
Confession of a Teenage Blockhead is a new play written by Bert V. Royal and directed by Trip
Cullman. The winner of the GLAAD Media Award for Best off-off Broadway production, winner of the
Excellence Award for Best Overall production at the 2004 Fringe Festival and winner of Best
Play of 2004. Enter Peanuts, 10-years later... All the gang has now grown up into hapless teenagers with
typical teenage angst; sex, drugs, insecurities and questions on their minds. Dog Sees God, a funny, sad,
but touching and often too real story of children evolving into adulthood offers an introspective look at their
journey and beyond. In this unauthorized production, the names have been changed to protect the innocent, but the humor remains the same. Produced by Dede Harris, Dog Sees God features original music by Tom Kitt. Harris is a producer of The Pillowman, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, A Raisin in the Sun and Hairspray while Trip Cullman's directorial credits include Swimming in the Shallows (2econd Stage) and The Petersons Project (NY Stage & Film). Scenic design is by David Koris with Costume design by Jenny Mannis.
WARNING: This Review is Very Spoilerish
WHO'S WHO IN THE CAST
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Eliza Dushku and Eddie Kaye Thomas
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Eliza Dushku (Van's sister) is best known to her fans as Faith, the rouge slayer, from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" and "Angel" but also starred in her own breakthrough series for FOX, "Tru Calling" as morgue technician Tru Davis. Eliza was featured in the hit films Bring It On with Kirsten Dunst and "Buffy" co-star Clare Kramer and City by the Sea opposite Robert DeNiro. Upcoming films (in post-production) include the horror films Dark Ride and The House starring Cher and the comedy Nobel Son with Alan Rickman. Originally from Boston, Eliza now resides in Los Angeles with her two dogs Max-Factor and Coco Chanel.
America Ferrera (CB's sister) has several screen credits to her name including the recent The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants co-starring with Amber Tamblyn ("Joan of Arcadia") and Alexis Bledel ("Gilmore Girls") and Lords of Dogtown. This is her NY stage debut which she dedicates to her mother who has "waited patiently for this day."
Kelli Garner (Tricia) starred with Leonardo DiCaprio in The Aviator and won acclaim with this year's Sundance Film Festival hits Thumbsucker and the short The Youth in Us. Kelli recently wrapped production on London featuring Jason Statham and Jessica Biel. She will return to Sundance this January to premiere her new film Dreamland.
Ari Graynor (Marcy) boasts Broadway and off-Broadway experience including productions of Brooklyn Boy, Into the Woods, Ah Wilderness and in The Company of Women's King Lear as The Fool opposite Kristin Linklater. Her film and TV credits include Mystic River and Meadow's troubled college roommate Caitlin on "The Sopranos".
Logan Marshall-Green (Beethoven) has been recognized for his theatre work as the 2004 Drama Desk Award winner for Best Ensemble and Lucille Lortel nomination for Best Featured Actor in The Distance from Here. Film and TV credits include The Kindness of Strangers, The Great Raid and "The OC", "24" and "Law & Order".
Keith Nobbs (Van) lists his Broadway and off-Broadway credits featuring The Lion in Winter and Bye-Bye Birdie with film credits including the up-coming feature Premium and Phone Booth starting Colin Farrell. Keith also appeared in several television hits including "Law & Order", "The Sopranos" and "New York Undercover".
Ian Somerhalder (Matt) starred as Boone in the hit ABC series "Lost" but will be seen next in the film Pulse, for the Weinstein Company, opposite Kristen Bell. Other television credits include appearances on "Smallville" and "Law & Order: SVU". Currently filming The Sensation of Sight, the production of Dog Sees God marks his off-Broadway debut.
Eddie Kaye Thomas (CB) fans will remember him best as Paul Finch in the American Pie films trilogy but he has extensive Broadway experience including The Diary of Anne Frank, Four Baboons and Adoring the Sun (Lincoln Center). While his TV credits include "The X-Files", "Wonderfalls" and "Felicity", Eddie can be seen in the up-coming films Venus & Vegas, Filthy Pills and Blind Guy Driving.
CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD
Logan Marshall-Green and Ian Somerhalder
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Dog Sees God opens with CB (Charlie Brown) standing in his backyard, looking towards the heavens
addressing his long lost - and forever absent - pen pal, informing him of the untimely demise of his beloved
dog and that "little yellow bird"; leading CB on another quest for answers concerning the human condition,
the meaning of life and if there is a heaven for dogs. For the rest of the gang, their daily teenage lives are
now consumed with proms, parties, sex, the latest hip trends, religious beliefs, sex, abuse of all manner
whether it be physical, drug or pyromania, homophobia and did we mention sex? Poor CB, crises surround him,
with his dog dead (and Woodstock the victim of a rabies crisis) he can't get any answers where dogs go after they die from his friends - he turns to his old pen pal and wonders if he even exists. He has a sexuality crisis and falls in love with his childhood friend, Beethoven (Schroeder) who, continually abused by his friends since childhood, is having his own sexual crisis which is overly agonizing due to his abusive past. CB's sister (Sally) is having an identity crisis of her own (one in a line of many, it appears) - she's Goth this week and is not so supportive of his loss while her own heart chases Beethoven.
CB's nemesis and ex-girlfriend, Van's sister (Lucy), is in the midst of a mental and substance abuse crisis, aside from charges of pyromania. Apparently CB's own attraction to the "little red-haired girl" contributed to her downfall. Now residing in a padded cell of the local mental hospital those handcuffs she sports are more for CB's safety when he visits her - the doctor may be in need of her own doctor. Matt (Pigpen), an at-the-hip pumping, Purell hand sanitizer, germ-a-phobe, is proving his sexuality via conquests and during a crisis of homophobic rage horribly injures his friend Beethoven leading to his suicidal death. Marcy's (Marcie) crisis is just trying to fit in with the cool crowd, especially with her 'special' friend Tricia (Peppermint Patty) while mocking their classmates at the lunch table and spiking their milk cartons. Van (Linus) is having a religious crisis, or just can't concentrate long enough amidst his doobie fog to decide if he is Buddhist or Rasta, having been the victim of his blanket burning (in the not-too-distant past) then subsequently smoking it to be "one" with its essence. Teenage angst and identity crises fill up the production of Dog Sees God but for CB there may be an answer at the end of this stormy cloud. On the other hand, Snoopy is probably glad to be gone...
"IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY NIGHT..."
This satire of Peanuts will bring you to laughter and tears. It not only takes you back to your teenage years, it is relevant to life today. All that confusion of those formative years doesn't get magically resolved just by the passage of time. And it seems to replay over and over again as we age, just in different ways. The Peanuts gang was like a microcosm of our little worlds as we were growing up and, now, as they grow up, they become a microcosm of our current life. Dog Sees God contains explicit language and sexuality, but so does our real life. It is not only an enjoyable way to spend an evening, it is a chance for introspection and adjusting how we see and treat others. The one-set stage offers a comic strip feel to the production where characters come and go but the background remains oddly familiar as we switch from playground to lunch room to padded cell. Worthy of the hour and a half you'll spend with CB and the gang it may not be enough. These characters, through their laughter and tears, reflect our own flaws and provide us with the timely reminder that all that is smoked is not heaven on earth. Brilliantly written, with just the right amount to satire, Bert Royal brings back Charlie and the Peanuts gang like we're never seen them before but always hoped we would. You may be a "homo" Charlie Brown but you're a good man!
The ensemble cast of eight of the most gifted young actors in the business today brings this production to life in many unexpected ways. Dushku (Van's sister) broke through her tough-girl "Buffy/Angel" image of Faith with a softer side in Bring It On and "Tru Calling". Here, Dushku gets to showcase her comedic side with true flare and impeccable timing. Although her character is limited to only several scenes they played key moments in the production including backstory of the "little red-haired girl" and provided for one of only two audience arousing applause (at the production this reviewer attended) at her scenes' end. Garner (Tricia) provided for the other burst of applause in the introduction scene to herself and Graynor (Marcy) as they gathered at the lunch table. The comedic timing and subtle verbal adlibs of Garner throughout make for a brilliant performance. Somerhalder (Matt) takes his portrayal of the homophobic germ-a-phob to comedic, and often shocking, heights proving his dramatic reach for fans who saw a very mundane Boone on "Lost". But Thomas epitomizes the essence of Charlie Brown, beaten down but not yet defeated, always looking for the silver lining, he encompasses every aspect of the character. In the closing scene, CB is once again addressing his pen pal, but this time he's gotten a response and as we hear the words of encouragement we discover that there may be a heaven where there's a dog and a young boy. In closing, the author signs the letter, "Your pen pal, C.S."
Dog Sees God opens officially on Thursday December 15th 2005, with an open run, off-Broadway at the Century Center for the Performing Arts, 111 east 15th street, New York City. The theater is housed in an historic building designed by Henry Hobson Richardson. It was the original home of the Century Club, which was a home for actors, writers and artists. In 1997, it became the Century Center for the Performing Arts. It enjoyed enormous success with the Pulitzer-winning drama How I Learned to Drive.
Written by CoA Contributing Writer, Suzie Reinker
For more information visit the plays Official website:
Dog Sees God
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