Dog Sees God: Charlie Brown 2 (Charlie's gay)

[Hayden]

I just read a play today called "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead." It was written in 2005 by Bert Royal and takes places in the present day as all the Peanuts gang are in high school. It's very gritty and profane. Think KIDS (1995, Larry Clark and Harmonie Korine).

Linus is a stoner, Pigpen is grows up to be an attractive, potty-mouthed homophobe, Lucy's a pyro (but a nice one) and Charlie and Schroder fall in love. I'm just curious is anyone here has read it or seen it before. It really affected me in a way I can't quite articulate yet. I've been an emotional, weepy mess all day because of it. I love Peanuts and there's something really heart wrenching about seeing your aspects of your innocence thrust into a tumultuous adolescence (I know it's not canon, but still).

Let me know what you think. I could continue with the plot description, but that might get boring.

[Counselor]

Want to read this now.

[Genersis]

I'm not really interested; but why the reversible title? Dog sees God is the same backwards...

[Sport77]

I too would really like to read the script. Thanks for posting this.

[Hayden]

I'm not really interested; but why the reversible title? Dog sees God is the same backwards...

It has a few meanings:

The show opens with Charlie Brown (CB in this script) writing to his pen pal (anyone remember T-E-A-M from "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown"?) for the first time since he was a child, informing him that he looked into Snoopy's dog house to find him aggressive and with his muzzle covered in blood; he had eaten Woodstock (yes, it's dark). CB's parents then put Snoopy down. Throughout the show CB keeps asking his very insensitive friends whether they believe heaven exists or not and if dogs would be allowed if there is.

The title also comes from some dialogue between CB and Lucy, who ironically turns out to be the only compassionate one of the group and who truly loves CB, in which after posing the heaven question to her Lucy responds by saying "when a dog looks at his master he sees god.... a cat just looks in the mirror."

The reason for the palindrome? I'm not exactly sure. To me it suggests a certain echoing from childhood to adolescence. Everything is the same, but warped, looked at through a fun-house mirror.

[SolemnBoy]

I want to read this now :o

[Hayden]

I want to read this now :o

It really is fantastic, especially if you already have a strong emotional connection to the original Peanuts. I mean, who doesn't have at least a little bit of CB in them? It's been 24 hours and I can't get it out of my head. A very tragic and perhaps a bit hyperrealistic portrayal of high school, but extremely touching and inspiring.

It kind of reminds me of something Philip Pullman said. I'm paraphrasing: "Most children stories in our culture (Peter Pan, Chronicles of Narnia, etc.) teach children to remain children as long as they can; don't grow up, responsibility and adulthood are wearisome and joyless, innocence is to be prized above all else. Children's stories should teach kids how to grow up and that responsibility, work and wisdom are immensely more rewarding than innocence." Dog sees God makes the audience watch as innocence and optimism are pulverized and slowly and painfully replaced with wisdom. It's really beautiful.