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Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
By Bert V. Royal
Directed by Ron Popp
Produced by Rubicon Theatre Project
At Oracle Theatre
3809 N. Broadway
Chicago, IL
Call 773-466-1835, tickets $10 - $20
Thursdays thru Sundays at 7:30 pm
Some Saturday & Sunday matinees
Running time is 85 minutes with no intermission
Through December 15, 2007
Tones shifts ruin comic strip parody
Sometimes it’s the writing that makes a production impossible to be successful. That sure is the case with Rubicon Theatre Project’s uneven production of Bert V. Royal’s parody of Charles M. Schultz’s comic strip, Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead. This script is a series of vignettes about C.B. (Chris Kondys) as he struggles with grief over the death of his dog. We meet the teen’s high school chumps—an assortment of male and female losers. From his younger sister (played by Michele Gross) who has a daily identity crises to the foul-mouthed girls, Marcy (Anna Schutz) and Tricia (Colleen E. Miller), we meet teenage girls who are cynical, sex crazed and dimwitted. Playwright Royal depicts the girls as raunchy bimbos.
The story involves C.B.’s personal struggle with both the death of his dog and his personal sexual identity. In a series of short scenes (with too many blackouts), we meet Van (Jacob A. Ware), an uptight, sexual obsessive male and a macho guy who is C.B.’s best pal. After several scenes that depict the sexual desires of the girls and Matt (George Remus) plus Van, the stoner friend’s philosophizing, the play changes tone drastically from a cynical parody of teenage sexual urges to a serious tale of acceptance and sexuality identity.
When Beethoven (Michael Rashid), the piano playing gay boy, appears in the high school halls, Matt, with C.B. watching, physically torments Beethoven because he is apparently gay. We see C.B. wander in to the piano room to both listen to Beethoven play Chopin tunes and to flirt with the talented pianist. There is no setup to this contrived scenario. C.B. is supposed to be a charismatic and commanding guy but Chris Kordys is miscast as C. B. since he is a little guy with a nerdy persona. Actually Michael Rashid’s Beethoven is a taller, physically macho guy—making the casting choices strange. I would have reversed these two roles. When C.B. kisses Beethoven in public, we don’t believe why C. B. did that since he never admits to being gay—so why would he do that?
This disjointed story has major tone shifts and a contrived plot that implodes credulity. This poorly written piece goes from raunchy parody to gay teen coming out to a preachy piece about how we all need to get along. The play superficially covers bullying, drug use, suicide, eating disorders, teen violence and rebellion. Royal’s characters are stereotypical, underdeveloped and bland. Chris Kordys is not believable as a gay boy. I simply didn’t buy C.B.’s antics at the play’s last scenes. The cast over plays their scenes as the strange story’s tone difficulties stretch our patience. This play is a mess and a waste of time and money.
Not Recommended
Tom Williams
Tom99@chicagocritic.com for comments
Talk Theatre in Chicago podcast
Date Reviewed: November 24, 2007
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