Apparently Charlie Brown Grew Up And Went To Degrassi High

So the producers of the Canadian premiere of the Off-Broadway play Dog Sees God has announced the cast and it's full of folks from Degrassi:TNG. The play will begin previews on March 13 2009 and open officially on April 1st for a limited four-week run in Toronto.

If you've never heard of the play Dog Sees God, it's the unauthorized story of the Peanuts gang all grown up into surly teenagers with teenage (or adult) problems. All the character names have changed slightly (Charlie Brown is now known as CB, Linus Van Pelt is now known simply as Van, Shroeder is now known as Beethoven etc. etc). I've only read the play but I've never actually seen it and while I would have loved to have seen the Off-Broadway cast (with a less famous America Ferrera (Ugly Betty), Ian Somerhalder (Lost), Logan Marshall Green (The OC), Eliza Dushku (Buffy the Vampire Slayer), Eddie Kaye Thomas (American Pie), Ari Graynor (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist) amongst others), the Canadian cast is looking pretty good!

The new Canadian cast will have Jake Epstein (Craig on Degrassi: TNG) as C.B., Adamo Ruggiero (Marco on Degrassi: TNG) as Van, Mike Lobel (Jay on Degrassi: TNG) as Matt (a grown up Pig Pen), Paula Brancati (Jane on Degrassi: TNG. Getting the trend here?) as Van's Sister, Tatiana Maslany (Zeppelin on Instant Star, a show from the producers of... you guessed it Degrassi: TNG) as CB's Sister, Ben Lewis as Beethoven, Alex Saslove as Marcy and Siobhan Murphy as Tricia.

Apparently Degrassi: TNG's Epitome Pictures is like the Law and Order for young Toronto actors. Sooner or later, you'll wind up on the show.

Of course, in full disclosure, one of the producers is friend and former (and sadly defunct) The Theatre Addict blogger and in-the-world-is-a-small-world former roommate to The TV Addict.

It's nice to see the gang from Degrassi move on to some different and varied things (with of course Shenae Grimes doing the "best" as she's move on to 90210) especially since most of the original Degrassi kids never managed to branch out further in their acting careers (what ever DID happen to Joey Jeremiah?)

Dog Sees God: Confessions of a Teenage Blockhead
Directed By Lezlie Wade will play Six Degrees (on Yonge north of Eglinton). Tickets are on sale now.
Dog Sees God has not been authorized or approved in any manner by United Features Syndicate or the Charles M. Schulz estate, which have no responsibility for its content.

"Ever wonder what happened to your favourite childhood comic strip characters?

Good grief, you have never imagined this...

When CB’s dog dies from rabies, CB begins to question the existence of an afterlife. His best friend is too burnt out to provide any coherent speculation; his sister is too busy searching for her own identity; his ex-girlfriend has recently been institutionalized; and his other friends are too intoxicated to provide any sort of comfort. But a chance meeting with a forgotten friend, the target of the group’s bullying, offers CB a peace of mind and sets in motion a friendship that will push teen angst to the very limits. Drug use, eating disorders, teen violence, rebellion, and sexual identification collide and careen toward an ending that’s both haunting and hopeful."

Recommended 14+ - Explicit Content

Begins March 13, 2009
Six Degrees, 2335 Yonge Street

Regular performances Monday-Saturday at 7:30pm
Student Matinees Tuesday and Thursday at 1:30pm
Special March Break Performances Friday March 13 at 2:00pm, Sunday March 15 at 5:00pm with Cast Q&A following the show, Wednesday March 18 at 1:30pm, and Saturday March 21 at 2:00pm.

The Canadian Cast of Dog Sees God:

Jake Epstein and Tatiana Maslany:

Jake Epstein and Paula Brancati:

Jake Epstein, Mike Lobel, Adamo Ruggiero and Ben Lewis:

Alex Saslove, Mike Lobel and Siobhan Murphy: