DOG
SEES GOD
By Bert V. Royal
Inevitable Theatre Company
REVIEWED 12/7/07 PERFORMANCE
Directed by Robert Neblett
Original Scenic Design Concept by Justin Barisonek
Lighting Design by Jared Land
Costume Design by Laurie Land
Sound Design by Robert Neblett
*CAST:
CB………................James Chandler
CB'S SISTER…......…..Chelsie Ashton
VAN………………............Drew Wall
MATT…………...........….Taylor Williams
BEETHOVEN..........……Jared Brewer
TRICIA…….........……..Stephanie Stuart
MARCY…………............Natalie Young
VAN'S SISTER.........Lindsay Neinast
______________________DOG SEES GOD_______________________
Last week the nation once again served as a unified
bystander
observing the tragic shootings at an Omaha shopping mall. A
certain
familiar pattern emerged from the violent crime. Innocent
people fell
victim to a lonely, angry, furious, and confused teen.
Virginia Tech and Columbine are two of the most well known
cases
involving teen(s) who took matters into their own hands.
They wanted
those who looked below their noses at them now to view them
through
their guns. Think of all those elementary & high school
shootings in
the last 5-10 years that involved youths with guns. They are
tired of
being picked on, have parents who are too busy to listen,
and an
educational system that simply does not have the resources
to handle
their situations and/or problems.
In one particular scene in Bert V. Royal's play DOG SEES
GOD, a teen
who is so damn exhausted-both emotionally & physically from
getting
beaten on for being "different", makes a statement about how
he under
-stands why teens with guns "shoot people like you!" You
can't help
but immediately think of the Omaha shootings, Virginia Tech,
Colum-
bine, and so on.
DOG SEES GOD (Confessions of a teenage blockhead) is a
comedy that
slowly becomes dark in which we see what happens to Charles
Schultz's
beloved PEANUTS characters in high school. The play is
receiving its
Regional premiere by a new troupe entering the DFW theater
community-
Inevitable Theatre Company.
Let me preface by saying I really wasn't much of an avid
reader and
follower of Charlie Brown, snoopy, & the gang. I was more of
a BLOOM
COUNTY fan. But I do remember the basics of its characters,
but really
that's about all. Sure I saw the sugar saturated animated
specials on
TV and have seen several productions of its musical; YOU'RE
A GOOD MAN
CHARLIE BROWN. Nonetheless, it was a little difficult trying
to match
the teen PEANUTS character to its younger, animated self. It
didn't
help that all the familiar names have been dropped (maybe it
was a
legal issue). But here's what they are now in High School:
"Charlie Brown" is a sexually confused boy who just lost his
dog (we
have to assume it was Snoopy) to rabies. He found a small
corpse
resembling ayellow bird dead next to his aging dog. "Sally"
(Charlie's
sister) is now a bitter Goth girl who is love with the
outcast
"Beethoven", who is also sexually confused. "Pigpen" is now
a homo-
phobic jock who has a vicious violent streak in him, oh and
he's a
germaphobe. "Linus" is now a pothead who smoked the little
blanket
he carried everywhere as a tiny boy. Tricia (who was
"Peppermint
Patty") and Marcy are still best friends, but now make fun
of every-
one, all the while pouring booze into their empty milk
bottles.
Finally "Lucy" has been placed in a mental institution for
setting the
little redheaded girl's hair on fire. I'm sure none of this
is what
Schultz had in mind for the future of his beloved
characters.
Royal's script is quite good, but has some flaws within its
pages that
need retooling and adjustments. The piece tries to be a
comedy, but
then switches gears midway to become a dark morality play
that at
times sounds like an after school special. Both elements
fight against
each other, trying to top the other one that the subtext
gets
completely lost. The comedy is so-so, but it is not rolling
the aisle
humor. Oddly enough some of the big chuckles come when the
characters
on stage make references to their younger days. The dramatic
portions
of the script are there as well, but seem to be just
skimming the
surface. You get a vibe of Royal struggling to honestly open
up the
inner dialogue of his characters-but never truly get there
or gaining
solid ground.
But my main issue with the script is this-why did the gay
teen have
to be the one to kill himself? Why couldn't it have been
Matt? (Who
it seems has a crush on CB). It still baffles me that it has
to be
the gay character that ends up killing themselves or die at
the hands
of some furious, sadistic homophobe. It just gets tiresome
of watching
the one character that has the heart and compassion in a
cold world
to be the one murdered. Film, TV, and stage tend to kill off
their
gay characters constantly. Remember BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN? Or
what about
TAKE ME OUT on Broadway a few years ago? While I do
understand "It's
for dramatic effect"-why not try to stand outside of the box
and kill
off the jock instead? I seriously think had Royal wrote this
in his
play that Matt killed himself; then the piece could have
opened a
whole new world of possibilities for dramatic intensity and
character
development within all the roles.
Robert Neblett's direction is clean, concise, and organic.
There are
a slew of scene changes that constantly happen, and while
there were
a few hiccups in the transitions, it still worked
beautifully. Neblett
keeps his entire cast grounded in realism, which serves the
piece
quite well. The director wisely steers his young company
from becoming
"caricatures" of the roles, but instead making them real
teens.
Neblett's keen eye for casting is displayed perfectly within
his
company of young thespians. The pace on opening night was a
bit off
kilter, but I'm sure that was opening night jitters. Neblett
uses
every inch of the intimate Bathhouse Cultural Center stage
to full
effect. For his directorial debut here in Dallas, I was
immensely
impressed by Mr. Neblett's work here. Kudos as well for his
terrific
choices of background and scene change music. Each song
served as a
soothsayer, narrator, or homage to the PEANUTS gang.
Out of the design elements, my personal favorite was Jared
Land's
sublime lighting design. Using an array of bright colors for
his
palette, Land added a touching veil of "Emotional Lighting"
in various
scenes that worked hand in hand with the emotions being
exposed on
stage.
The entire cast is made of college age performers who all
show great
promise within their acting craft & choice of emotional
structure.
Lindsay Neinast has only one scene as "Lucy" late into the
intermission-less piece, but savors her scene with touching
results.
As CB's sister, Chelsie Ashton gives the character the right
doses of
Goth and rebellious teenager. Her final scene with her
brother will
make your heart melt. There is a bizarre, confusing
contemporary
dance piece that Ashton performs concerning a butterfly and
a
platypus. And while I didn't "get it", Ashton's acting tools
show
that she truly does believes in the words and dance
movements, that
you can't help but applaud once the dance ends.
Stephanie Stuart & Natalie Young provide some of the festive
laughs
of the night as the snooty beyotches that rule the popular
crowd.
Trust me; these are not the type of girls that would
participate in
Disney's HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL. Instead they would punch
Sharpay in the
face, tell Gabriella she's fat, and sleep with Troy because
they were
bored and had nothing better else to do. All the while
sipping their
booze of course. Stuart & Young are entertaining, but I wish
the
biting & catty humor had a hint more of campy bitchiness
like in MEAN
GIRLS, JAWBREAKER, HEATHERS, or GOSSIP GIRLS. Nonetheless, I
thoroughly enjoyed both of their performances very much. I
would
though not ask for a sip from their milk bottles during
lunch. Trust
me.
Drew Wall as "Van" is another laugh provoking performance
within the
piece. "Van" is the typical laidback, pot smoking teen we've
seen in
countless films and TV shows. You just know he collects tons
of
Japanese comic books, lives on the computer, worships
science fiction-
all the while living in a pot filled cloud. Wall nails the
character
-ization down perfectly with slacker like comedic pace,
delivery, and
timing.
As "Matt", Taylor Williams physically does look like those
Jocks that
populate the halls of any high school. Tall, blonde,
handsome, and
tanned. Williams's choice of acting to not make him just a
dumb jock
was a wise decision. The performance would have become a
nuisance for
the audience. Instead Williams gives the character a
troubling,
confusing, and brutal streak of anger that is riveting to
watch
unfold. When Williams' anger causes him to call Beethoven a
"f**", it
drips with venom like hatred and disgust. I must admit, it
was
difficult not wanting to leap from your seat and punch the
SOB smack
in the mouth. That's how believable this actor is in his
character-
ization. Williams shines in this piece.
This leaves the two performances I felt stole the evening,
James
Chandler as "CB" and Jared Brewer "Beethoven". As the two
teens that
may or may not have feelings for each other, the chemistry
is both
heartfelt and radiant. Like two tennis pros, neither drops
the "ball
of energy" that we all actors discuss when it comes to
character
connection and chemistry. The scenes involving Chandler &
Brewer are
the best of the evening in regards to subtext and organic
truth. The
arc created for both of them is well defined in their acting
that it
results in honest believability within their performances.
Brewer, a tall actor with a very expressive face delivers
the pain
and heartache that follows "Beethoven". The violent attack
that
Williams lashes onto Brewer is vividly realistic and
uncomfortable to
watch. Brewer's characterization is endearing and touching.
You as an
audience so badly want to protect the boy from any harm.
This kid
easily wins the audience's heart by the end of the evening.
Chandler is outstanding as the lead character and narrator
who takes
the audience on his personal quest of finding answers about
God, his
dog, and love. He never once drops character and continues
to stay
intensely focused, even when he is not the center of
attention.
Chandler's finest work comes in the last half of the
piece-in which
he finds both loss and understanding. The final moments are
full of
sorrow, with Chandler's eyes full of tears as he tries to
understand
the loss, it is heartbreaking to watch. Chandler is indeed
an actor
with great promise and which other directors need to view
immediately.
This young thespian has it!
The play itself does have some issues that need to be
rewritten,
better laid out subplots, and a much firmer grasp on subtext
to make
the piece truly shine. However, it is the direction and this
wonderful, dedicated cast that makes the production come
alive with
satisfying results.
With practically every theater in the metroplex right now
mounting
some Christmas themed production-DOG SEES GOD is indeed
worth the
diversion from the usual Tiny Tim and Scrooge themed shows.
While it
is not recommended for the tots, I seriously urge High
School students
to view this-they just may see themselves within these
characters-and
hopefully what they see will make them think twice before
saying or
doing the wrong thing. They just might save a life. Maybe
even their
own.
GRADE: B+
__________________________________________________________________
DOG SEES GOD: CONFESSIONS OF A TEENAGE BLOCKHEAD by Bert V.
Royal
Inevitable Theatre Company
www.inevitabletheatre.org
Through December 22, 2007
Week Two:
Thurs Dec 13 at 8:00 pm; Fri Dec 14 at 8:00 pm; Sat Dec 15
at 8:00 pm
Week Three:
Thurs Dec 20 at 8:00 pm; Fri Dec 21 at 8:00 pm; Sat Dec 22
at 8:00 pm
Performed at the Bath House Cultural Center, Dallas. Ticket
Prices:
$10-15. Tix can be purchased by phone: 972-215-8059 or
online
http://www.inevitabletheatre.org/boxoffice/buytickets.html.
