Don't Miss Your Chance to Catch "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead" at Plays and Players!

Sometimes in life you get a second chance. Despite living just doors away from Plays and Players Theatre, I managed to almost miss catching Dog Sees God, the laugh-out-loud comedy that has been on stage at the historic playhouse since September 27^th and closes this Saturday, October 13^th. Thankfully, I got there just in time.

 

Dog Sees God is the story of the Peanuts gang in their adolescent years. No longer precocious children, Charlie Brown and company are now in high school and what were charming childhood quirks are now full grown neuroses and psychological disorders. Riotously irreverent in its humor yet entirely reverent to its source material, Dog Sees God is clever, hilarious and unbelievably fun.

 

Dealing with issues such as sexual identity, drug use and school violence, Charles Schultz’s estate, obviously, did not authorize the use of his beloved characters and storylines in this piece. As a result, the names of the characters have been changed, but their identities are soon figured out as personality traits emerge and past Peanuts storylines are alluded to. This postmodern dramatic device keeps the audience active, as they are constantly asked to call upon their Peanuts knowledge in order to determine which of their beloved childhood favorites has become the troubled teen on stage before them. It all makes for great fun and a huge amount of laughs.

 

At the heart of the fun is an outstanding cast; there is not a weak link in the bunch. Ken Sandberg as CB maintains the everyman insecurity that made Charlie Brown so endearing, yet layers in a cautiousness that could believably be the result of having had the football yanked away one too many times as a child. Molly Casey is hilarious as CB’s sister, a glimpse into Sally’s Brown’s future as an angst-ridden, identity crisis-laden rebel.

 

Rebecca O’Connell and Amber Wiley make a hysterical duo as Tricia and Marcy, Peppermint Patty and Marcie’s teenage counterparts. Their judgmental cattiness towards their classmates is devilishly funny and provides some of the most amusing banter of the night. Scott Franco and Shoshanna Hill as the teen versions of Pig Pen and Lucy, respectively, add sadistic humor and surprising gravitas adeptly in their slightly smaller but highly pivotal roles.

 

Without a doubt, though, the two standout performances of the evening belong to Josh L Hitchens as Beethoven (the grown up Schroeder) and Dan Derosier (a pot-smoking Linus). Hitchens is perfection as the vulnerable victim of bullying who has been forced to miss out on the joys of childhood in order to protect himself from those who seek to harm him. His fragile mannerisms belie the self-preserving, world-weary pessimism coming from his mouth, creating a dynamic and heart wrenching performance worthy of attention come Barrymore time next year.

 

Dan Derosier quite simply steals every scene he is in. His stoner ramblings are so inspired and engaging that it is impossible to take your eyes off of him for a second. His delivery seems effortless, yet he elicits rapturous belly laughs that can probably be heard from Rittenhouse Square. To miss his performance would be a severe loss to anyone who values a consummate comic turn.

 

Director Bill Egan cannot be forgotten in the success of Dog Sees God. His direction is smart and he keeps the pace of the show constantly moving. As a result, the comedy stays sharp and the tragedy believable and resonant. The run-time seems to fly by in flash, yet a complete and powerful emotional journey has been allowed to come full circle. 

 

Good grief! Don’t miss this wonderful show at one of the city’s most charming and intimate playhouses. You have until October 13^th to catch it, and only a blockhead would waste this opportunity!