A smash hit!!
The Boys were Back in Town!
catskill, New York
a comedy with balls
Bridge Street Theatre Eight performances
44 West Bridge Street September 26 – October 6
Catskill, New York Thu, Fri and Sat at 7:30, Sun at 2:00
Nothing but raves!
“A play that comes at you like a sharp volley and overwhelms you with wit, charm, and most of all heart … Bridge Street Theatre, home of passionately supported, idiosyncratic theatre, has another winning left turn on its hands with ‘ChipandGus’. A ferociously smart, hysterically funny love story of two men who express themselves through exceptional worldplay, philosophical discussions, touching honesty, and ping pong … If I can convince one person to head down to Catskill tonight to see this original, ravishing comedy, I’ll feel pretty good about it … The ping pong is glorious. Not unlike ‘The Wolves’ or ‘Flex’ where the young women in those plays run soccer or basketball drills (respectively) while holding long discursive conversations, the action heightens the dialogue, sharpens our listening, and can be some of the most thrilling moments you spend in the theatre! … I highly recommend you catch this very enjoyable play!” Patrick White, Nippertown
“Two lonely men, Chip and Gus, meet every third Tuesday of the month to play ping-pong in the back room of a bar in Schenectady, New York. Chip, a struggling professional musician and composer, teaches music at a university as an adjunct professor; Gus has a Ph.D and is the chairman of the philosophy department at the same college. He has written fourteen books and has delivered lectures all over the country. This odd couple are the only characters in the hysterical and touching play ‘ChipandGus’ (that is how the title is written) by John Ahlin and Christopher Patrick Mullen at Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill, New York … The play runs for ninety minutes; for seventy or more of those minutes they continuously volley making unbelievable shots time after time. Their dialogue is priceless filled with bon mots, terrible yet funny puns, intellectual humor, sarcasm and wisdom which flies faster than their volleys. As the evening goes on what has started as simply a game night sees a richer affinity evolve between them … A fabulous performance!” Macey Levin, Berkshire On Stage
“Who would have thought a game of ping-pong could produce a production this enthralling? Certainly not the opening night audience who couldn’t stop laughing, me included. These two men carry on at a rapid, intense tempo making me wish I could see the play again in order to hear the laugh lines I may have missed while I was laughing … For eighty-seven minutes the two men play ping-pong, discuss life, education, marriage, sexual orientation, work, moving, isolation, consolation, consultation and their relationship while the game goes on. Long held secrets are revealed. Personal fears are unveiled. Grammar is discussed. Disgust is revealed and revelations are displayed. And even the most tragic moments are funny … Both Mullen and Ahlin deliver brilliantly and the show will leave you weak. There is really only a week in which to see it and if you enjoy laughing then see it you must. What makes a comedy a comedy? Well, these two men know, and they will show you with their balls on the table, on the floor and in the air. If you sit in the front row you might want to bring your own paddle.” J. Peter Bergman, Berkshire Edge
“Ping Pong in Schenectady makes great fun at Bridge Street Theatre in Catskill … It might seem a huge leap to compare the two- person comedy ‘ChipandGus’ with the work of Shakespeare. However, if you consider that one of the appeals of Shakespeare’s comedies is that they brilliantly mix low-comedy with high intellect, then there is a clear connection. ‘ChipandGus’ is a wildly smart play that is as entertaining as it is comically performed … This is not an elitist work. Indeed, the laughs from all parts of the audience on opening night proved this is a comedy for all … Like Tom Stoppard’s ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead’ it captures the existentialistic dread of Shakespeare’s minor characters. In much the same way, the two characters have a kinship to Samuel Beckett’s tramps in ‘Waiting for Godot’. But too, it seems like a prequel to Neil Simon’s ‘The Odd Couple’. I guess you could say, it has something for everyone.” Bob Goepfert, WAMC