By Laura King and Ollie Wilson
Chip and Gus, played by John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen, are two middle-aged, socially awkward New York academics who meet once a month to play ping pong. Each pretends it is not that big a deal to them, but over the back and forth of their table tennis emerges academic one-upmanship, regrets, petty squabbles and an unfortunate propensity for falling for the same women.
What seems like a small favour assumes epic proportions. The neuroses of Woody Allen meets Proust mixed with cheesy humour. It is an intelligent, energetic and sassy play. Gus is an extraordinarily pedantic and erudite professor. Chip is a struggling music teacher in a state of panic.
Both actors put in remarkable performances, arguing in complex scenes while proficiently playing table tennis. However, we did not particularly care for the play, written by Ahlin and Mullen. Being clever is not the same as being interesting and engaging. Nonetheless, the production is an impressive achievement. Therefore, we are giving it four stars.
Star Rating: ****
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