A rakish man staggers into the back room of a New York dive bar with two beers. He fusses over  his phone, snarling to his ex-wife about when he can move his stuff out of their shared apartment. Moments later, his jovial companion arrives, carrying two more beers, and immediately launches into a witty grammatical routine regarding the various senses of the word ‘buffalo’. When he sees his friend has already brought booze, Gus is outraged. It was his turn to buy the beers, he insists. Chip argues the opposite case, since last week’s session was called off. As they bicker, the two men take their places across the ping pong table and begin to play.

So begins Chip and Gus: A Comedy With Balls, an hour of lightning fast philosophical bantering and musings on the male psyche played out via the medium of ping pong written, directed and performed by John Ahlin (Gus) and Christopher Patrick Mullen (Chip).

By and large Chip and Gus is a ‘hang out’ play. Whilst the subplot with Chip’s ex-wife does bubble beneath the surface, the majority of the piece is anchored around the debates and contrasting worldviews between our two players. Chip is an emotional musician, Gus an intellectual professor. Ping pong is where they align.  To see their dazzling dance play out in real time, with balls spilling into the crowd and under seats, you quickly become swept up in its alluring dynamism. 

As the balls fly, so do the intellectual barbs and lyrical quips. Mind-bending word play and allusions to obscure philosophers and niche New York addresses bestow a sense of authenticity.  You can believe that these characters exist and that they really talk like this. At times you can feel overwhelmed, or lost, but that’s the point. Staging the dialogue around an  actual game of ping pong is a unique and a clever mechanism to maintain a compelling tempo. 

The men’s play-styles reflect their personalities. Chip’s sweaty, frantic shots are easily parried by Gus. It speaks to what these two men gain out of their shared pastime. Chip wants escape, an activity to lose himself in, whilst Gus craves connection, someone who will listen to his musings, and challenge him on his principles. 

The script is whip smart, though at times too much for its own good; many of the references may go over heads of younger audience members. By the end, much like Chip and Gus, you’ll feel breathless and sweaty, but you might also feel  short changed. Some more dramatic meat on the bone could do well to prop up the undeniable flair.

Chip and Gus: A Comedy With Balls is at Venue 45 at theSpace @ Venue 45 until Sat 29 Aug 2026