Review By Élise C. Hanson, Front Row Reviewers
Wasatch Theatre Company’s theme this season is “once more with empathy,” and their recent production of Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead by Bert V. Royal illustrates this theme. The production opened in the George Plautz Memorial Co-op Theatre and then had a limited run in the Eccles Regent Street Black Box to coincide with Pride Month this June.
Dog Sees God is a dark parody of the Peanuts comic strip, with Charlie Brown or “C.B.” played by director Mitch Tyler, now in high school, riddled with existential dread and grief at the death of his dog. The collection of child characters is now grown into disillusioned and disaffected youth with drug and alcohol habits, sexual compulsions, penchants for bullying, and deeply-rooted trauma. The somewhat wretched treatise on growing up hits waves of enlightenment and mirthfulness on its spiky, crooked road.
The production was very minimalist, with costumes echoing touches of the familiar clothes worn by Charlie Brown, Linus, and the rest. The absence of trappings and flair where the set was concerned allowed the story to shine, and it was appropriate for the exploration of Charles Shulz’s scant comic strip which focused on character and notion rather than extravagant visuals. An impressive point of the production was the soundscape, with gentle, pensive piano music by artists like Chopin. This selection of musicality exemplified the care and thoughtfulness poured into the process by Tyler, whose take on the parody was tinged with sweetness.
The casting was handled deftly, with each actor suited to their roles and embodying the edgy, irreverent characters through often harsh and prickly dialogue. Aussie Growe as Tricia (“Peppermint Patty“), was the school’s mean girl, spitting out insults and passing judgment, and Growe’s light, breezy, buoyant performance earned Tricia some genuine laughs. Her counterpart “Marcy” (Ella Frank), was blazingly nasty, lending color to her character. Eli Arborgast had the challenge of portraying the hyper-sexual and homophobic Matt (Pig Pen), who exacts violence against Beethoven (Chandler Reddington), or “Schroeder“, when he learns that the latter has shared intimacies with his best friend C.B. Reddington was grounded and even as Beethoven, convincingly conveying his hardship-informed reticence.
A standout performance came from Erica Berger as Van’s Sister (“Lucy”), now locked up in an in-patient facility for setting the “little redhead girl’s” hair ablaze. Set up in her trademark psychiatric help booth, she delivers a powerful, funny, pitch-perfect take on the comic strip’s most potent and opinionated character. Her scene with Tyler was my favorite in the piece and the two carried it off wonderfully.
Ethan Hernandez offered a balanced and endearing Van (“Linus“), elevating the stereotypical “pot became my entire personality” character. Lina Boyer was delightful as the emotive and capricious C.B.’s Sister (“Sally”), and her monologue-driven one woman show about metamorphosis evoked an arthouse take on the famous musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown.
The production is now closed, but Wasatch Theatre Company continues its trend of producing rarely-seen and original works, and this Peanutty, blasphemous, and provocative play was the perfect entry to their repertoire.
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