The titular character of E.E. Wade’s highly original, highly entertaining The Mad Mad Scientist Play is Dr. Ron Mallet, a professor of quantum physics.  When we first meet Dr. Ron (Michael D. Baldwin), he’s on his way to work.  We later learn that our scientist is one of two African-American professors in the Physics Department at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor.  During his ride, our restless prof — equipped for his morning commute with his headphones and thermos of coffee– engages in some small talk with the salty bus driver (Bergin Michaels). The two men participate in some brutal but admittedly hilarious banter about “talking white”, urban decay, Obama, and more.   Their dialogue is rough, almost bordering on mutually antagonistic.  When he finally reaches the school, we learn that Dr. Ron is facing a bigger issue than getting to work on time– and it’s one that could seriously affect his professional future.  Ron has a tense relationship with the Physics Department’s OTHER African-American professor, the no-nonsense Dr. Laveada Butler (Jacqueline Springfield).  Laveada views Ron’s classroom presentation about “time travel” as little more than science fiction, and claims that he is “drowning in a sea of his own untapped potential”. Laveada gives Ron a combination of pep talk and stern warning:  His tenure may be threatened if he doesn’t “get serious”.  As Ron begs for more time to prove himself, we sense that the pair’s relationship is more complex than just being academic peers.  Despite their bickering, there’s clearly a romantic undercurrent running between Dr. Ron and Dr. Laveada.