By: Giavanna PeppeStudent actors conducted their own rendition of a classic comic strip series this past weekend at Hofstra’s own Spiegal Theater in Hempstead, NY.
"Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead", a play written by Bert V. Royal, is the 2004 parody of Charles Schulz’ "Peanuts" series that retired in 2000 after 50 years of production.
The play opens to a funeral for the main character, C.B.'s, dog who was euthanized after contracting rabies. The dreariness of the set leaves the audience immediately wondering when Charlie Brown got so depressing. In spite of a few gloomy scenes, the audience kept entertained.
“I’m definitely happy with the outcome, we got really good reactions from the crowd. I think we knew that it was a fun show and we were going to get the laughs from the writing, but we were happy with the fact that people saw a deeper meaning in our characters,” said Christina Meyers, the student actress who plays Tricia (Peppermint Patty).
“Dog Sees God” is a dark comedy that replaces the young characters from the Peanuts comic strip with troubled teens struggling to find their identities after a series of life changes. The play portrays the underlying insecurities that teens have which sometimes alters the way they act around other people.
Meyers said, “Yes, she’s this superficial slutty girl (Tricia) but I tried to bring in her insecurities too...the normal insecurities a teenager would have...I mean there are people who actually are like that but why are they like that? because they aren’t just superficial… they are human”
Theater students Steve Spera, Gina Ventura, Christian Titus, John Vincent Bahrenburg, Ryan Smith, Christina Myers, Laura Duell, and Amanda Mac mad up the cast.
C.B. (spera) begins to contemplate life after his dog dies and few friends have compassion for his loss. Van (Linus), played by Titus, is now addicted to marijuana rather than his blanket after C.B.’s gothic sister set fire to it. Matt (Pigpen), played by Bahrenburg is no longer filthy but is a self proclaimed neat freak. Van’s Sister (Lucy), played by Amanda Mac has been institutionalized after setting a girls hair on fire. Tricia (Peppermint Patty) and Marcy, played by Christina Myers and Laura Duell, are both promiscuous alcoholics while Beethoven (Schroeder), played by Ryan Smith is now an outcast after revealing he has been sexually abused by his father.
The drama includes references towards drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion and homosexuality; certainly a drastic change in comparison to the original comic strip.
“The characters are way more messed up now. Peanuts was for kids and this would definitely be for a more mature audience. We have the weed smoker and the alcohol and the ecstasy going around...that’d be the main difference… their really messed up now,” said Meyers.
The numerous unexpected drug-references and risqué sexual innuendos performed by the student actors may leave some wondering how the university allowed the production to go on.
“We came into a couple little things that we ended up clearing up. We almost weren’t allowed to smoke anything so we were going to have to use fake cigarettes with no smoke but at the last second they let us do it” stated Meyers.
The student actors put a lot of time and effort into the 90 minute production that incorporated over 22 different scenes.
“Having to memorize is usually the biggest thing” said Meyers.
For more information on the play you can visit the official "Dog Sees God" Website here: Dog Sees God: Confessions of a teenage blockhead
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