The gods of comedy (Dionysus and Thalia), down from Mount Olympus, introduce themselves with a flair. Photo by Ronnie Anderson.
By WOODY WEINGARTEN
Daphne Rain, a workaholic classics prof played impeccably by Anna Wesner, is mouse-like and straightforward, and early-on declares “I don’t need a boyfriend; I need tenure.” But she’s also fickle, flirtatious, and frisky.
Ralph, her male counterpart classics professor, is portrayed brilliantly, hilariously by Paul Bisesi as gawky yet lovable. But, nevertheless, he’s fickle, flirtatious, and frisky.
And Dionysus, one of two larger-than-life spirits who hustle down to Earth from Mount Olympus in The Gods of Comedy at the Masquers Playhouse, is rollickingly characterized by Jeffrey Biddle. But he, as well, is fickle, flirtatious, and frisky.
This screwball 2019 comedy by playwright Ken Ludwig, celebrated creator of Lend Me a Tenor, is crammed with sexual wordplay, sexual movements, and single entendres — with partners changing as often as those in a bad French movie that somehow never stoops to boring.
The most sex-crazed character, however, is none of the above. It’s Liddy Freeman as slithering bombshell actress Brooklyn De Wolfe, who, with apologies to Will Rogers, apparently never met a man she didn’t like.
That said, sex makes up only about 3% of The Gods of Comedy. Indeed, the farce is at once laugh-out-loud-funny, cartoonish, silly, clever, and witty. It’s filled with slapstick, mistaken identities, exaggerated mugging, buffoonery, gags coming as fast as gatling-gun bullets, and copious physical comedy.
A handful of costumed production numbers, moreover, guarantee keeping your family Grouch or Dr. Seuss’ Grinch away.
Two classics professors, Ralph and Daphne, cradle a lost Euripides play, Andromeda. Photo by Ronnie Anderson.
The plot itself — mainly a frantic search for a re-lost manuscript of an unearthed edition of as Euripides play, Andromeda — almost doesn’t matter.
It also makes no-never-mind ha the show features tons of champion on scenery as well as third-grade level clowning (that tickles adult funny-bones much better than red noses and floppy shoes might).
Think, too, about the impossibility of not laughing at the running gag in which costumed-to-the-nines Dionysus and the muse, Thalia (Melody Payne Alonzo), constantly re-introduce themselves as “The Gods of comedy” with a flourish, a pause, and arms thrust outward, followed by an over-the-top “Ta da!”
Theatergoers also chuckle at Ares, a narcissistic, oversexed god of war (played by Paul J. White, not Pete Hegseth) who responds when asked what he does for a living, “Rape and pillage.”
Awe is another frequent crowd reaction, especially to the most spectacular visual scene: Dionysus juggling, Thalia twirling batons, and projected fireworks going off on the backdrop.
Awe is also appropriate for most of the costume designs by Lynda Hornada, who’s done that work on Broadway and for the New York Shakespeare Festival.
The sets also deserve accolades. They range from a full-blown look at a college office to a naked curtain. It all works seamlessly.
There are flaws in this community theater production, however, not because of any performances, not linked to the direction, the sound, or the lighting.
The two-act show is often uneven, because there are so many jokey moments the odds are, a bunch will fall flat. In addition, between sight gags that draw major giggles and squeals are a few slow moments when the dialogue is drab and audience silences are awkward.
And while there are topical references to the Marvel series of film franchises, there also are weird, outdated mentions — to an ancient television series, “I Love Lucy,” for instance.
Director Ronnie Anderson, who keeps the two-hour pace at unrelenting, breakneck speed, writes in the program, “I am thankful the Gods were smiling on me, when casting.” Clearly, they were: The entire ensemble is not only superlative but sustains as much fun on the Point Richman stage as anyone’s likely to see.
Anderson utilizes a successful device that allows the minor god-like characters to instantly change personalities. They also shift from invisible to visible and back again.
Not incidentally, each of the play’s characters consistently seeks either an adventure or “a happy ending.” They get one or the other. Or both. And, no spoiler alert here, so does the audience — despite the “pure chaos” that frequently colors the stage.
The Gods of Comedy will run at the Masquers Playhouse, 105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through May 17. Tickets: $15 to $35. Info: 510-232-3888 or info@masquers.org.
Sherwood “Woody” Weingarten, a longtime voting member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle, can be contacted by email at voodee@sbcglobal.net or on his websites, https://woodyweingarten.com and https://vitalitypress.com. His books include Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner’s breast cancer, aimed at male caregivers; MysteryDates — How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of his newspaper columns; and Grampy and His Fairyzona Playmates, a whimsical fantasy intended for 6- to 10-year-olds that he co-authored with his then 8-year-old granddaughter.
