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By Bert V. Royal
September 28, 2018 @ 11:00 PM. Admission: Pay What You Can at the door. Seating: General Admission Rated: AGP-R. Intended for mature audiences only! Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead is a play written by Bert V. Royal. An "unauthorized parody," the play reimagines characters from the popular comic strip Peanuts as degenerate teenagers. Drug use, child sexual abuse, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, sexual relations, bullying, and identity are among the issues covered in this parody of the works of Charles M. Schulz. The show cleverly disguises the identity of each character, so that the issues of the play draw more focus than attempting to guess "who's who". However, the use of these famous characters is what gives the show its emotional punch: even these beloved child characters must someday grow up and deal with a harsh reality as they find their place in the world. |
THE STORY:
When CB's dog dies from rabies, CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. His best friend is too burnt out to provide any coherent speculation; his sister is going through major identity crisis; his ex-girlfriend has recently been institutionalized; and his other friends are too inebriated to give him any sort of solace. But a chance meeting with an artistic kid, the target of this group's bullying, offers CB a peace of mind and sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion and sexual identity collide and careen toward an ending that's both haunting and hopeful.
"Good grief! The Peanuts kids have finally come out of their shells." —Time Out NY.
"A welcome antidote to the notion that the Peanuts gang provides merely a slice of American cuteness." —NY Times.
"…easily identifiable with the Peanuts crowd yet with a distinctly 'Royal' touch…The way Royal builds on the foundation of Charles Schulz's iconic comic strip actually results in a parody that's also a stand-alone play apt to resonate even with anyone belonging to that small population segment unfamiliar with Peanuts." —CurtainUp.
"Inventive and raunchy…hysterically funny." —NY Post.
"DOG SEES GOD doesn't feel like the same old high-school-warfare schlock. The characters—teenage and reckless—are both genuinely sympathetic and unquestionably cruel. Growing more hysterical—and more harrowing—as it flows to an inevitable, uncomfortable end, this taut comedy manages to make tired clichés about stoners and popular homecoming airheads funny and endearing." —NY Magazine.
When CB's dog dies from rabies, CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. His best friend is too burnt out to provide any coherent speculation; his sister is going through major identity crisis; his ex-girlfriend has recently been institutionalized; and his other friends are too inebriated to give him any sort of solace. But a chance meeting with an artistic kid, the target of this group's bullying, offers CB a peace of mind and sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits. Drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion and sexual identity collide and careen toward an ending that's both haunting and hopeful.
"Good grief! The Peanuts kids have finally come out of their shells." —Time Out NY.
"A welcome antidote to the notion that the Peanuts gang provides merely a slice of American cuteness." —NY Times.
"…easily identifiable with the Peanuts crowd yet with a distinctly 'Royal' touch…The way Royal builds on the foundation of Charles Schulz's iconic comic strip actually results in a parody that's also a stand-alone play apt to resonate even with anyone belonging to that small population segment unfamiliar with Peanuts." —CurtainUp.
"Inventive and raunchy…hysterically funny." —NY Post.
"DOG SEES GOD doesn't feel like the same old high-school-warfare schlock. The characters—teenage and reckless—are both genuinely sympathetic and unquestionably cruel. Growing more hysterical—and more harrowing—as it flows to an inevitable, uncomfortable end, this taut comedy manages to make tired clichés about stoners and popular homecoming airheads funny and endearing." —NY Magazine.
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