New Tulsa play is a pet-lover’s dramedy

A Tulsa playwright is coupling his grief over the loss of his mother in a tragic car accident with the love we have for our pets in a new play, called Norman.

For Justin Hendrix, the loss left him shocked and broken. He felt his favorite companion, Butter Bean, could detect it to some degree, but Hendrix wished he could explain his heartbreak to his dog.

He was reacting to me being super upset, he said. I remember him looking at me, and he just didnt understand.

The memory has now inspired the new, semi-autobiographical play, with a twist in the play, the dog turns into a human named Norman, played by his co-writer and production partner, Tim Welch.

At the end of the day, because this piece is so personal, that Ill take the power of veto, because its his story, said Welch.

Hendrix pla