Chip and Gus: A Comedy with Balls ***

There’s a table-tennis table set up at Space 45 venue. Even for the Fringe that’s left field.

Chip enters, all nervous energy and a drink in hand. He sets about removing the jetsam that is strewn across the table. He’s alone and conducts a hushed tone conversation, indicating drama in his personal life.

When Gus enters, there is the first of what ought to be a simple question about whose round it is, which instead becomes a pseudo-philosophical question. An early tell as to their quirky relationship, as indeed is Gus’ delivery of the ‘buffalo buffalo…’, a well-known linguistic trick sentence, rather than the usual social niceties.

Gus (John Ahlin) and Chip (Christopher Patrick Mullen) are old friends and table-tennis sparring partners, having had several competitive matches over the years. Every month they meet to play, except last month they didn’t: Gus had been away at a conference. Chip ended up playing with the barmaid instead.

Gus is an academic, socially awkward and probably somewhere on the spectrum. He does not possess a mobile phone. Chip is a struggling music teacher, any loftier ambitions quashed, but is more comfortable in a bar environment.

But life – both present and past – is getting in the way tonight. Chip’s life is unravelling and he is struggling to find a way to ask his old friend for help. Meanwhile, Gus has had matters on his chest for a while.

Chip and Gus: A Comedy with Balls is one level a piece of theatre about two friends with shared histories, failure to communicate, with agendas and secrets. However, the surprising layer is that they perform this piece while actually playing table-tennis.

They begin slowly, with rudimentary wooden paddles and the pace of the conversation reflecting this. As they switch bats, going through to high-end championship, rubber, bats, the dialogue ramps up commensurately. The pace and rhythm of the dialogue is often reflected by their play, and, as the finale looms, the dialogue is rapid-fire.

They have somewhat different style of play too. Chip is seeking to attack, using loop or top spin shots, whereas Gus is content to stand at the table blocking Chip. It feels like a parallel with their personalities: Chip pushes forward, while Gus is more inclined to absorb and return what comes his way.

The table-tennis playing towards the end is impressive, considering they are performing a piece of theatre at the same time. This is where the concept perhaps falters. The demands of the game necessarily restrict their theatrical delivery to some degree. The table tennis is simultaneously the show’s greatest strength and its potential weakness.

The Fat Knight Theatre production contains clowning, linguistics, slapstick, philosophy and storytelling; however, it is mostly about the comedy. Ahlin and Mullen have natural timing and chemistry, the jokes and witticisms batted back and forth, delivered with top spin. This multi-talented company present a delightful hour’s entertainment.

Now, whose round was it this time?

Space Venue 45 (Near Waverley Station), until 29^th August.