The Riverside Community Players present The Gods of Comedy opening on April 19th and running through May 5, 2024. A play written by Ken Ludwig, and directed by Eric Modyman, chronicles the madcap antics when Daphne Rain, assistant to Professor Ralph Sargent, loses the ancient manuscript he's recently discovered, and enlists the help of the god Dionysus and Muse Thalia in finding a way to replace it.

The play centers around Daphne Rain (Veronique Poutre) who loses the ancient, never before seen, manuscript of the play Andromeda by Euripides that the professor she assists, and is kind of in love with, Ralph Sargent (Sam Kimbrell). In her franticness of losing the manuscript she calls on the gods to help her find it and to her shock, the god Dionysus (Jorge Agustin) and his muse Thalia (Kayla Tate) show to help with hilarious effect.

Dionysus and Thalia are more interested exploring the college campus and trying out new foods than taking the problem seriously, and both Agustin and Tate are exceptional portraying gods who relish in new experiences and having a good time.

Poutre as Daphne Rain is also a joy to watch as she is simultaneously freaking out over the loss of the manuscript, but also finding out she enjoys the perks of having a couple of gods as friends, especially during the scene where they make her invisible while Kimbrell as Ralph Sargent is searching the office for the manuscript.

The entire cast has fantastic chemistry, and the play is performed in a small intimate theatre in the round, allowing for interaction from the cast with the audience. Notable moments include Dionysus "morphing" into Brooklyn De Wolf and parading around with the unaware Ares who has a thing for De Wolf, but wants to kill Dionysus. To be honest, I was often distracted from taking photos due to getting lost in the dialog and laughing at the crazy antics in the play.

The Gods of Comedy opens April 19th at 8pm, and runs through May 5, 2024. This is a must see play performed by talented actors in a wonderfully intimate theatre. Purchase your tickets online at the Riverside Community Players website or call (951) 686-4030.