{"id":111536,"date":"2026-04-27T11:32:33","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/?p=111536"},"modified":"2026-04-27T11:32:33","modified_gmt":"2026-04-27T18:32:33","slug":"gods-of-comedy-bring-laugh-out-loud-show-to-point-richmond-from-mount-olympus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forallevents.com\/reviews\/gods-of-comedy-bring-laugh-out-loud-show-to-point-richmond-from-mount-olympus\/","title":{"rendered":"Gods of comedy bring laugh-out-loud show to Point Richmond from Mount Olympus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The gods of comedy (Dionysus and Thalia), down from Mount Olympus, introduce themselves with a flair. Photo by Ronnie Anderson.<\/span><\/em><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

By WOODY WEINGARTEN<\/strong><\/p>\n

Daphne Rain, a workaholic classics prof played impeccably by Anna Wesner, is mouse-like and straightforward, and early-on declares \u201cI don\u2019t need a boyfriend; I need tenure.\u201d But she\u2019s also fickle, flirtatious, and frisky.<\/p>\n

Ralph, her male counterpart classics professor, is portrayed brilliantly, hilariously by Paul Bisesi as gawky yet lovable. But, nevertheless, he\u2019s fickle, flirtatious, and frisky.<\/p>\n

And Dionysus, one of two larger-than-life spirits who hustle down to Earth from Mount Olympus in The Gods of Comedy<\/em> at the Masquers Playhouse, is rollickingly characterized by Jeffrey Biddle. But he, as well, is fickle, flirtatious, and frisky.<\/p>\n

This screwball 2019 comedy by playwright Ken Ludwig, celebrated creator of Lend Me a Tenor<\/em>, is crammed with sexual wordplay, sexual movements, and single entendres \u2014 with partners changing as often as those in a bad French movie that somehow never stoops to boring.<\/p>\n

The most sex-crazed character, however, is none of the above. It\u2019s Liddy Freeman as slithering bombshell actress Brooklyn De Wolfe, who, with apologies to Will Rogers, apparently never met a man she didn\u2019t like.<\/p>\n

That said, sex makes up only about 3% of The Gods of Comedy<\/em>. Indeed, the farce is at once laugh-out-loud-funny, cartoonish, silly, clever, and witty. It\u2019s filled with slapstick, mistaken identities, exaggerated mugging, buffoonery, gags coming as fast as gatling-gun bullets, and copious physical comedy.<\/p>\n

A handful of costumed production numbers, moreover, guarantee keeping your family Grouch or Dr. Seuss\u2019 Grinch away.<\/p>\n

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Two classics professors, Ralph and Daphne, cradle a lost Euripides play, Andromeda. Photo by Ronnie Anderson.<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

The plot itself \u2014 mainly a frantic search for a re-lost manuscript of an unearthed edition of as Euripides play, Andromeda<\/em> \u2014 almost doesn’t matter.<\/p>\n

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).<\/p>\n

Think, too, about the impossibility of not<\/em> laughing at the running gag in which costumed-to-the-nines Dionysus and the muse, Thalia (Melody Payne Alonzo), constantly re-introduce themselves as \u201cThe Gods of comedy\u201d with a flourish, a pause, and arms thrust outward, followed by an over-the-top \u201cTa da!\u201d<\/p>\n

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, \u201cRape and pillage.\u201d<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Awe is also appropriate for most of the costume designs by Lynda Hornada, who\u2019s done that work on Broadway and for the New York Shakespeare Festival.<\/p>\n

The sets also deserve accolades. They range from a full-blown look at a college office to a naked curtain. It all works seamlessly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

There are<\/em> flaws in this community theater production, however, not because of any performances, not linked to the direction, the sound, or the lighting.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

And while there are topical references to the Marvel series of film franchises, there also are weird, outdated mentions \u2014 to an ancient television series, \u201cI Love Lucy,\u201d for instance.<\/p>\n

Director Ronnie Anderson, who keeps the two-hour pace at unrelenting, breakneck speed, writes in the program, \u201cI am thankful the Gods were smiling on me, when casting.\u201d Clearly, they were: The entire ensemble is not only superlative but sustains as much fun on the Point Richman stage as anyone\u2019s likely to see.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

Not incidentally, each of the play\u2019s characters consistently seeks either an adventure or \u201ca happy ending.\u201d They get one or the other. Or both. And, no spoiler alert here, so does the audience \u2014 despite the \u201cpure chaos\u201d that frequently colors the stage.<\/p>\n

The Gods of Comedy<\/em> will run at the Masquers Playhouse, \u00a0<\/strong>105 Park Place, Point Richmond, through May 17. Tickets: $15 to $35. Info: 510-232-3888 or info@masquers.org.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Sherwood \u201cWoody\u201d Weingarten, a longtime voting member of the San Francisco Bay Area Theater Critics Circle, can be contacted by email at\u00a0voodee@sbcglobal.net<\/a> or on his websites, https:\/\/woodyweingarten.com<\/a> and https:\/\/vitalitypress.com<\/a>. His books include Rollercoaster: How a man can survive his partner\u2019s breast cancer, aimed at <\/em>male caregivers;\u00a0MysteryDates \u2014 How to keep the sizzle in your relationship; The Roving I, a compilation of 70 of his newspaper columns; and\u00a0Grampy 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.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By WOODY WEINGARTEN Daphne Rain, a workaholic classics prof played impeccably by Anna Wesner, is mouse-like and straightforward, and early-on declares \u201cI don\u2019t need a boyfriend; I need tenure.\u201d But…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":32,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"yasr_overall_rating":4,"yasr_post_is_review":"","yasr_auto_insert_disabled":"","yasr_review_type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-111536","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-woody-weingarten"},"yasr_visitor_votes":{"stars_attributes":{"read_only":true,"span_bottom":"