Swamped

"I think I heard something of one of the plays before they closed," you say carefully. "It was called something like, The Gods of Atlantis, I believe?"

The sandwich-eater suddenly brightens up.

"Oh, that was a marvelous one! Takes place on this island kingdom. The Monarch, Atlantis, starts putting up statues to a new group of gods, and orders the people to worship them instead of the real ones. The story focuses on a fish seller, who refuses to worship Atlantis' new gods and goes through grave ordeals. Starts with people refusing to buy from them, then spitting on them in the streets, eventually being imprisoned. And then, just as the fish seller is about to be executed, they're given one last chance to repent, and there's this absolutely beautiful scene."

They're so enthralled they haven't even taken another bite of sandwich.

"They get this vision, where the new gods themselves call for the fish seller's conversion. Thing is, all the gods are very clearly the other actors in the play wearing masks. Sure, it's a way to save on hiring more performers, but it's also bloody brilliant, as it shows how the people just view these false gods as extensions of themselves. And so, after this parade of gods speak of all the wonders that the fish seller can have, just by worshipping them, the leader, who is of course played by the same actor as Monarch Atlantis, walks right up to them and asks, will you convert and be saved? And the fish seller just spits right in their face. Then, and I nearly jumped when I saw this... the gods all just take their masks off, and become the audience at the execution again. Same positions and everything. And Atlantis is reeling."

They finally manage to take another bite, and pause before continuing.

"Anyhow, the real gods then send a storm to condemn the island, which sinks to the bottom of the sea, and the fish seller is miraculously saved. That part seemed a bit unrealistic, not like the gods ever do that much for most of their believers, but I can buy that they'd sink the bloody island. They do tend to get upset at that sort of open defiance."

Well, whether that information was helpful or not, in and of itself, asking about it has put the sandwich-lover in a good mood. That might help you find out more about what's going on tonight.

"Oh, there was one thing," they continue. "Was a bit weird, but one of the new gods was actually sorry for the fish seller. Said he didn't want to see them suffer, but the rest had spoken. The corresponding character was just a ship captain who'd done business with them before the whole thing started, so I guess it was supposed to suggest that he felt sympathy but was too afraid to really stand up? I dunno, it could have been interesting if it was developed a bit more, but I guess there's only so much story you can fit into forty minutes. Still, really solid overall."

You should probably get your question in quickly. It seems they're only too happy to fill silence with their own thoughts now, so you'll want to direct those as much as you can.