A Creative Reimagining of the Peanuts Saga in "Dog Sees God"

We all remember that innocent opening sequence that became a staple of early morning television and yearly Christmas specials; upon hearing that immortalized piano rendition of “Linus and Lucy,” viewers knew that they were in for a fun-filled adventure with Charlie Brown, his gang of friends, and, of course, his beloved dog Snoopy.

Director kat baus ’15  takes a different perspective on this well-remembered story, instead bringing to the stage a sequel that follows the comic strip’s characters into their darker teen years in Bert V. Royal’s “Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead.” The parody of the traditional tales of Charlie Brown and his friends will run from March 27 to 29 in the Adams Pool Theater.

“It was the first piece of theater I had seen that was really written for our generation,” baus says when speaking of their initial motivation to direct the show. “There was something special about that.” As a story centering on Charlie Brown, who begins to question his sexuality and social status following the death of his dog, the play covers issues of drug abuse, suicide, eating disorders, sexual relations, and perhaps most importantly, identity.

“[The play] takes characters that are such a part of American culture—characters who already matter to the audience—and then drops them into situations that only resonate the way they do because the characters have decades of history underlying them,” Colin A. Mark ’17 says. Mark will play the central character, CB (Charlie Brown), come opening night.

“The show honestly could not be more blessed,” says Skip L. Rosamilia ’17, who plays Van, who many may remember from the original cartoon as Linus. Rosamilia praises the team for taking on this show and the new vision that both actors and production team bring to the table. “‘Dog Sees God’ has transformed into so much more than I think Bert Royal could have ever achieved on his own.”