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‘Dog Sees God’ examines Peanuts 10 years later
‘Dog Sees God’ examines
Peanuts 10 years later
The characters didn’t turn out as you might have imagined.
YOUNGSTOWN — In the cartoon world they inhabit, the “Peanuts” gang — Charlie Brown Co. — never grow up.
But what if they did?
That’s the premise of “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead,” a comedy that looks in on Lucy, Linus, Pig Pen and the rest of the crew 10 years after their comic strip phase.
The play opens Friday at the Oakland Center for the Arts.
Director Robert Joki said he became interested in it after seeing a clip on a morning talk show.
“They were interviewing America Ferrera, who was in the off-Broadway cast,” said Joki. “The host referred to ‘Dog Sees God’ as a dark comedy — which is right up my alley — and ‘the show to be in if you are young and talented in New York City.’
“I had been looking for a show to do with the 20-to-30 age group at the Oakland — the same group that makes our open mic nights wildly popular — so I ordered the script. As I read it, I was expecting to laugh a lot ... and I did.”
But Joki said “Dog” is more than just a parody. It is moving and serious. It even brought him to tears.
“I am by no means a crier when it comes to live theater,” said Joki. “But something about this script really got to me. I knew I had to direct it. It’s the kind of show that has you falling off your chair laughing one minute, and then completely devastated the next. At the same time it is nostalgic and very tender.”
Cast members include Gary Shackleford, Alecia Sarkis, Brooke Slanina, Denise Glinatsis, Suzanne Shorrab, Ric Panning, Greg Mocker and Amato D’Apolito.
“I have been fortunate enough to find an amazing cast who is just as passionate about the play as I am,” said Joki. “We are hoping the audiences will react the same way.”
The play begins with an account by the lead character — dubbed “C.B.” — of the day he had to put his dog, Snoopy, to sleep.
“In the Peanuts comic strip, the characters never age,” said Joki. “This play speculates as to what could happen if they did. Charlie Brown experiences love and loss, and finds himself in the middle of a teenage crisis that leaves him searching for answers to the questions we all ask ourselves. What happens when we die? What is the meaning of life? These are issues that young Charlie Brown never had to deal with ... in the one-dimensional world of the funny pages.”
“Dog Sees God,” which was written by Bert V. Royal and premiered in 2004, contains adult language and situations.
It also puts a sordid twist on just about every member of the old “Peanuts” gang.
Linus is a pothead. Lucy is a pyromaniac who has been institutionalized. Marcy and Peppermint Patty are party girls. And Beethoven and Pig Pen are dealing with multiple sex-related issues.
Playing around with such beloved characters, of course, can turn off some audiences.
But Joki believes followers of The Oakland’s edgy fare will love “Dog Sees God.”
“Other local theaters have done ‘You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown’ and ‘Snoopy.’ This is our answer to that,” he said.
“It’s the kind of play that only the Oakland can get away with.”