Altas Kazan has created a comedy surrounding disputes between three of the world’s greatest philosophers in 4th and 5th centuries BC. Many of these disputes actually existed. Certainly, anyone who has read both Plato and Aristotle knows that the teacher and student viewed the nature of man quite differently from each other and came to far different conclusions about man and the best philosophy for moving forward. There is also no question that Diogenes and Plato were significant rivals where no love was lost. Kazan’s introducing Alexander the Great as a young student of Aristotle also is based in fact, although it’s not clear what lessons he took into battle, he apparently applied or attempted to apply some of Aristotle’s teachings in his attempt to control conquered lands.

All of that is the stuff dissertations are created from. But Kazan is correct that there is room for significant comedy in these arguments. A comedy about Plato’s rivalry with Diogenes or disputes with Aristotle or the kid, Alexander, misapplying Aristotle’s lessons has the potential to be very funny. Unfortunately, Kazan has decided to give us comedy with no central character. Even the featherless chicken fails to take a central role.

As a result, Kazan has provided a number of funny skits highlighting the problems these powerful and important individuals had with each other. Each of these sketches is amusing, but great comedy requires a star. In the movies that may have been Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Groucho Marx, Oliver Hardy, Fatty Arbuckle or Bud Abbott. Each of these stars had to respond, not always intelligently, to disasters the world and their friends placed them in. That lack of a sharp focus on one philosopher in Ruff, Ruff, Ruff keeps Kazan’s work from soaring.

Kazan has provided a pleasant enough sketch comedy. Each sketch has the unexplored core of a very funny play. Hopefully Kazan will provide one or more of those works in the future.