At first glance PETA’s adaptation of the classic Don Quixote dela Mancha may seem like a child’s wild interpretation of Sesame Street, but PETA’s latest opus Don_Q delivers mostly due to its innovative, high-concept approach to an otherwise characteristic narrative.

      Donatello is an angst-driven teenage online gamer who has a pure heart, but a troubled life. His parents, aptly played on two webcam projectors by Cherrie Pie Picache and Eric Quizon, have left him under the eye of his Yaya Sunshine, a rather stout if not amusing character, as they look for work in Europe. Dondon, on the other hand, longs to reunite with them. This will take him on a harrowing journey of discovery and disillusion, as he meets these tormented characters from the cyberworld.

      Don_Q tackles a wide array of contemporary subject matter, specifically emphasizing a darker side of online gaming not commonly seen by the general public. From trading for money to trading for sex, the internet presented in this play is not the type of technology that parents would like their children to be exposed to. The truths in these commentaries are undeniable and on the whole disturbing, and they confirm Don_Q’s status as a play dealing with mature issues for mature teenagers.

      Once one can fully comprehend Don_Q’s attempts to enlighten, entertain, and in the end emulate a society wriggled with the remnants of disarray and confusion, one may be able to interpret a play that has more soul than one might initially assume. Arguably one of the most schizoid ideas I’ve ever seen put to stage, Don_Q is the epitome of fine storytelling and succeeds in its element of sheer ingenuity.

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