Review: DOG SEES GOD at The Bent

Dog Sees God is a play that takes the gang from the world of the Peanuts comic strip and reimagines them as angsty, troubled teenagers. Although the names are changed, author Bert V. Royal makes it clear who our favorite cartoon characters have become in this dark interpretation.

The play opens with CB, played by Henry McLaughlin, talking to his pen pal about the death of his beloved dog. The dog contracted rabies and killed his friend, a little yellow bird, before being put down. CB’s sister, Sally (played by Joyanne Tracy), is now a goth Wiccan, undergoing her own identity crisis. As we meet the other characters, we see how they’ve changed as they grew from childhood to their teenage years. Van (Linus), played by Steffon Martindale, seems to exist in his own world, surrounded by a haze of cannabis. Matt (Pigpen), played by Chris Carranza, is CB’s Best Friend and now the good-looking alpha male jock of the high school. However, he is also a misogynistic homophobe. Tricia (Peppermint Patty, played by Terry Ray), and Marcy (Marcie, played by Jason Ayestas), are the mean girls who hilariously argue, day drink, and gossip as they plan for the big party while Marcy’s parents are away. Beethoven (Schroeder), played by Miguel Olivas, is now the reclusive outcast who spends his lunch periods in the music room, playing the piano to avoid being harassed by the other students. Matt is the most aggressive in his homophobic taunts directed at Beethoven.

When lonely CB finds himself in the music room with Beethoven, they talk for what seems like the first time since childhood. CB invites Beethoven to the party, and they kiss. At the party, they kiss again in front of everyone. They quickly leave together, and CB reveals to Beethoven that he has feelings for him.

The next day, Tricia, Marcy, and Matt all wake up together, hungover and half-dressed. Matt rages about Beethoven and wants to make him pay for "f-ing with his Best Friend." CB goes to visit Van’s sister, Lucy (played by Celia Orosco), who has been institutionalized for setting the Little Red-Haired Girl’s hair on fire. We find out that CB and Lucy had a relationship in the past, and she becomes the voice of reason CB desperately needs to hear.

The entire cast delivers strong, courageous performances, fully committing to this gritty reimagining. But this is not the Charlie Brown we grew up with—Dog Sees God twists the familiar warmth of the Peanuts universe into something much darker. In this production, the innocence of childhood has faded, replaced by these beloved characters facing issues like sex, drugs, bullying, mental illness, and suicide. It’s an unsettling interpretation, but the cast handles it with honesty, humor, and heart.

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