article_snippet: The nonfans tend to respond that this kind of comedy rests on an assumption defined by another common Latin phrase, ceteris paribus  --  e.g., "all other things being equal.
article_snippet: What's the threeway balance of power between the author, the actors and the intended audience?
article_snippet: In that latter context, They're exercises designed to highlight the fundamental magic of live theater: They power to get audiences to suspend disbelief.