Three faculty members from an American university are vacationing in Greece. Dean Trickett palms Ralph off on Daphne. Daphne is deep into her own pursuits on this (accidentally working) vacation, but Trickett is in no mood to assist Ralph in what might be an historical find. Despite her best efforts, Ralph succeeds in roping Daphne in. What follows next is a sudden incident that nets Daphne some leverage with the Greek Deities. She saves the life of a small boy, belonging to a charming peddler (Aristide) who sells trinkets to tourists. In gratitude he bestows upon her a necklace, he’s imbued with impressive powers.
A few months later, back on campus, Ralph reveals to Daphne not only has he found the scrap from the manuscript by Euripides, it’s the actual text of the play Andromeda, in its entirety. This is, of course, a watershed event, and the two are in thrall. Daphne agrees to keep the manuscript safe, while Ralph arranges a presentation for alumni and/or donors, later in the evening. When Daphne leaves her office for a few minutes, the affable janitor (Aleksi) takes the liberty of disposing what he believes to be rubbish, and (in a playful mood) shreds the first few pages. (I’ll give you a few moments to recover).
Aghast at the disappearance of the sacred text, Daphne in a WTF moment, grasps her miraculous charm, woefully crying out for Divine Intervention. Lo and Behold, Dionysus and his goddess consort, Thalia appear, confident they can resolve Daphne’s calamity. What happens next might perhaps be a lesson in the shenanigans of non-Titanic gods and their skillset. Whether other gods (who dwell higher up the realms of Mount Olympus) might find this task easier, I couldn’t say. Dionysus and Thalia are quite “personable”, but they don’t seem especially well equipped to nail this one. Or not anytime soon.
Playwright Ken Ludwig turns the God From the Machine (Deus ex Machina) on its head. An ancient time-honored theatrical device, God From the Machine is a lofty term for a last minute arrival of salvation, usually by extraordinary means. Say if a fiver went sailing out your car window and Moses appeared with your missing money in hand. When Dionysus and Thalia arrive at Daphne’s behest, her problems should be over. Sweet-natured and convivial though they may be, these two are clearly out of their depth. Though it’s fair to say Dionysus is associated with wine and theatre performance, his is a commanding presence, often terrible and merciless. Comedy might be a reach. Not so with Ludwig’s characters. Imagine your favorite Aunt and Uncle performing parlor tricks. And Ares, the God of War, makes an appearance. Though somewhat intimidating, he’s also a schmuck. You go, Ken Ludwig.
The Gods of Comedy is a pleasurable, affectionate, smart satire, often for reasons not articulated in the script. Of course, Ralph and Daphne are disillusioned when immortals they’ve extolled to starry-eyed scholars wind up as commanding as Carrot Top or Kathy Griffin. Ken Ludwig trusts us to put the pieces together. The comedy has almost nothing to do with higher education, and the dark forces that scoff at despair. It’s tongue and cheek; anti-intellectualism by an unapologetic ally erudite playwright. Vaudeville for intelligentsia.
Allen Community Theatre presents The Gods of Comedy, playing January 27th- February 12th, 2023. 1210 E Main Street, #300, Allen, Texas. (844) 822-8849. allencontemporarytheatre.net