Randuwa II: Prologue Theatre: "Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead"

Theatre is such an all-encompassing medium. The DMV is home to lots of companies that run the gamut from well-established with multi-million dollar multi-stage complexes to shoestring-budgeted rent-out-whatever-space-is-available, passionate, scrappy, concept troops. And as the saying goes, and everything in between. Prologue theatre would appear to reside on the passionate, scrappy end of the spectrum. I attended a matinee held in the upstairs portion of a retail building on 14th street that is ostensibly designed as a dance studio, but does work when reconfigured as a little theatre space, too. There is a special energy and intimacy with such companies. My ticket came with an educator's discount, was general admission like all the tickets and only cost me $20. And to be honest, I've spent upwards of 5 times that much for half or less as dynamic experience in the end.

Fact, I was the third person to arrive. Fact, the audience topped out at ten people. Fact, one was a local theatre critic of some renown, one was a former board member for Keegan Theatre, one just had his musical "Light Years" debuted at Signature Theatre and is a founding member of the indie folk band "Eddie from Ohio", and from the pre-performance conversations all but myself and one other gentlemen were well acquainted with each other and had long histories in the DMV theatre scene.

As to the play, it could loosely be seen as the Peanuts gang all grown up and not behaving terribly well story, but that wouldn't do the complexities of the show justice, although the analogies are intentional and present throughout beginning with the tragic death of CB's (the protagonist's) dog, a beagle...who has contracted rabies and slaughtered his best friend (a little yellow bird) before being put down. In this world "Lucy" (referred to only as Van's Sister) is in a nuthouse for setting another girl's (a little redheaded girl's) hair on fire during biology class as day after having an abortion. Van (er, Linus VAN Pelt) is a pothead who had his blanket burned for being infested with pubic lice by his best friend's little sister, and then took the ashes and rolled them into a blunt and smoked it. Matt (a.k.a Pig Pen) has become a sadistic, neat freak who's obsession with homophobia is the driving conflict of the tale. Tricia and Marcy (a.k.a. Peppermint Patty and Marcy) are egocentric "valley" girls into alcohol abuse and casual sex. CB discovers during his quest to answer the question "Is my dog in heaven?' that he is gay and in love with the piano prodigy, Beethoven. A boy constantly attacked for being a fag even years after it has come to light that he was being sexually abused by his father. Still with me? We're not in Peanuts anymore, Toto!

SO what you have here is either a way too clever sack of cliches, or a very interesting take on contemporary teen identity and cultural angst. I'll vote for the latter on the strength of two critical components. One, kudos to the director, Jason Tamborini. There was just too coordinated an ebb and flow of the ensemble's energy not to have been guided by a singular vision. Two, the excellent cast. Even those members who initially struck me as ambiguous completely won me over by the end. Conor Patrick Donahue as the villainous Matt was simultaneously horrifying and pathetic a combination that engendered empathy along with disdain. To have a complex experience with a character in a play as the result of the actor's talent is the hallmark of talent. Annie Ottati and Vanessa Chapoy as the hapless duo of Tricia and Marcy were simply delightful together. As written, their BFF relationship twisted around chords of symbiosis and insecurity like actual siblings. Tiziano D'Affuso in the role of Beethoven was the actual reason that I took a chance of this production at all. He did not disappoint. He has a talent for understanding the critical moment in a scene that is not just about delivering dialogue, but also encompasses every nuanced movement. All that said, the star of this play was hands down Noah Schaefer as CB. In real life, he is a teacher at The National Conservatory of Dramatic Arts. I think I can safely say, his students are fortunate to have such a talented actor as their guide. He took on the entire arc of the character's journey and created a steady trajectory of emotional engagement right up to his character's explosive climax followed by an intensely emotional and perfect contraction toward darkness. Metaphorically, as a supernova must become a black hole, and literally, as the house lights faded away ending the play.

In writing this I also realized that dimes to donuts Noah is the son of the affore unnamed man who's musical premiered at Signature Theatre and who was lead guitarist of Eddie from Ohio...hmmm. It would also explain why that man's wife was the first person to offer a standing ovation. It was a gesture that I gladly joined in on.

The play is being presented through November 3rd. I would suggest that this one move to the top of your "to see" list before it is too late.

The view of the stage from the seat I chose.

Noah Schaefer (CB) giving his opening monologue about his dog's demise.

Tiziano D'Affuso (Beethoven) alone in the music room playing the piano during lunch, while the other students: Jonathan E. Miot (Van), Conor Patrick Donahue (Matt), Annie Ottati (Tricia) and Vanessa Chapoy (Marcy) eat in the cafeteria.