December 1, 2013
It was a certainty that I was going to read this play. A woman presented on it in my YA literature course, and I was fascinated. I ordered a copy off Amazon last week, and was thrilled to see it in my mailbox a couple of days ago. I was uncertain, however, as to whether or not I would add it to the list (meaning, this list). But I figured: I'd count it if I read a Shakespeare play (I have at least a couple on my list, though I've read my share of Shakespeare), or Tennessee Williams, and I'd count a volume of poetry, so why not this one? Now, certainly I advocate going and actually seeing a play, rather than reading one, but reading a play script can give you some further insight into the way it was written, can show you things that you might miss if you were watching it performed. Plus, any person with an appreciation for reading can create a visual of what's being read, and stage directions help in this genre. Now that I'm finished with the reading for that course, I'm going to focus on adding as much variety to my reading experiences as possible, plays and poetry included.
So this particular play is interesting (as I said, I got pulled in by a description). It is an unofficial play about the Peanuts gang, in their teenage years. Since it is unofficial, the real names for the characters aren't actually used. CB is Charlie Brown, Sally is "CB's sister," Linus is "Van," Patty is "Tricia," etc. Beethoven is still Beethoven, because that name wouldn't be licensed, and Pigpen has become Matt, a germaphobe. It's easy to tell who's who. What's really fascinating is how Royal has interpreted them as troubled teens. Tricia and Marcy (apparently it was okay for him to use that name, too) mix alcohol into their milk cartons at lunch; Matt bullies Beethoven for being a perceived homosexual (though the taunting may have more to do with the fact that Beethoven's father was arrested...it's implied that it had something to do with the sexual abuse of a child or something, but not to Beethoven himself), while dealing with his own issues with OCD, his own sexuality, and being an overall jerk; CB himself is confused about his sexuality, and pursues a sexual relationship with Beethoven; "Van's sister" is being treated in a psychiatric ward after setting "the little red haired girl's" hair on fire at school. Whoa! Some pretty heavy stuff. Over-dramatic, to be sure, and the play ends with Beethoven's suicide (after being confronted about his relationship with CB by Matt, who proceeds to break his hands). Oh, and it starts with Snoopy (not called by name, of course) getting rabies and killing Woodstock (also not called by name), and CB having to bury his beloved dog.
As dramatic as the play is, I feel that it would be fascinating to watch on stage. It's interesting that Royal chose to write about the beloved Peanuts gang; after all, they live in a world of perpetual childhood, innocent adventures, blankets and the Great Pumpkin and Christmas plays and silly pranks. Good old Charlie Brown always had problems, but he lives in a charming world, and his problems are all so silly, so entertaining. CB, on the other hand, lives in a very real world. Okay, so I would hope that the overly homophobic views expressed by the kids in the play are an exaggeration, and that you wouldn't find such views in an 'average' high school, but that may be naive on my part. But the drinking in the cafeteria, the bullying, the issues with identity...I'm not dumb enough to think that these things aren't going on. I'm tempted to hate the dialogue, but good grief, unfortunately, that's the way kids talk these days.
I found myself thinking, if I were to ever direct a school play again (oh, God forbid it), if I would do this one. My answer is an overwhelming no; this play is definitely not appropriate for high schools. The language is very coarse ('fuck' can be seen on nearly every page!), and most schools would be floored by the references to CB's sexual encounter with Beethoven, and with the violence of "Van's sister's" actions. I would love, absolutely love, to see this performed somewhere, like at a college or a local theater. But I feel like this is another obscure play, like the many that I read about in the play catalogues and websites when I did have the arduous task of directing (and producing) a school play completely on my own. I was limited in my choices; I needed plays that were "safe," and that had a vast majority of female parts (my first year at directing, I had two male actors; my second, I had one), but I also wanted to find plays that were a little out of the ordinary, that were, perhaps, a little 'smarter' than previous play selections. Basically, plays of decent quality, and I felt like I was successful in that both years (and I had a good group of kids for both of those, thank God). No, I have an appreciation for theater, but I will never be involved with it again. I would like to go and see more plays in my area, and I recently saw that there are more opportunities to see live theater in my hometown than I had realized. Even obscure plays (like this one) have something to them, so I think that I will go and see a show (even if it's, gulp, alone) the next time I have a chance.
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A playbill for a production of Dog Sees God. From a search, it seemed that most places putting it on were smaller theaters and colleges...as I expected. Apparently, Eliza Dushku was in a production as "Van's Sister". Interesting!
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