Charlie Brown Grew Up

If you ever wondered what happened when Charlie Brown got to high school, then you have to see Dog Sees God. The characters go by different names and love interests have been moved around, but it is easy to make the connections. That said, Dog Sees God goes down a completely different path than any Charlie Brown shows you have ever seen.

The play starts with CB dealing with the death of his dog, a beagle, which had to be put down because of rabies. After this loss he begins to ask his friends whether they believe in an afterlife, but none of them give satisfactory answers. His sister changes her personality every week, his friend Van is following the ways of Buddha, his ex-girlfriend (who is also Van’s sister) is in the mental ward for setting a girl’s hair on fire, his friend Matt is obsessed with sex and bullying Beethoven every chance he gets, and his friends Tricia and Marcy are too drunk to think straight. One day he finds himself in the music room, where Beethoven spends his lunch practicing piano because he cannot eat lunch in the lunchroom without being called gay, and after talking with Beethoven begins to think differently about his life and all he has ever done.

Dog Sees God is not for someone who wants a comedy. There are a few comical lines, like “May you always find peace and moistness,” and some hilarious dance scenes. However, there is violence, bullying, tears, and death. That said, this play is incredibly powerful and has so many levels people can connect with. The actors did such an amazing job conveying emotion and bringing the play to life that I almost cried. This play revolves around so many issues that are part of growing up and being a teenager that anyone who sees the play can relate to the characters, especially those in TeenTix.

From being bullied for being gay to always being predictable and “normal” this play has it all.

I have seen countless plays – many done by professionals – and I have never watched a play that moved me as much as this one. I am still thinking about it and would go again if I got the chance. If you want a play that you can connect with and that will make you think, feel, possibly cry, and yet give you a great feeling at the same time then you have to see Dog Sees God.

Dog Sees God
UW Undergraduate Theater Society
May 29 - June 8