In the book of Exodus, when God sent bread from heaven to feed the Israelites, it was a sweet bread they called "manna."

Manna was described as being "like the coriander seed" and tasted like wafers made with honey.

Well, God may not be raining heavenly wafers down on the Burienites, but the gods (spelled with a lower case "g") are definitely showering us with our semi-annual dose of theatrical comedy, wine, hors d'oeuvres, coriander and...chicken.

Chicken? Is the Breeders Theater now in the poultry business? Not exactly. But the fine folks with BT are opening yet one more comic outing with Coriander, a "spicy little tale about urban policy."

In a scene reminiscent of the book of Job, a council of Greek gods (lead by BT favorite Doug Knoop and newcomer Amber Rack) debate the woes of mankind.

On the discussion block are two things: whether or not to build a road, tunnel or bridge across sacred ground for the cause of real estate development, and whether the one "good" man in Greece, the government official Coriander (Scott Green) will remain "good" throughout this public debate and do the right thing.

Human lobbyists on both sides of the issue abound. The developer Tentacles (Eric Hartley) argues for building a passage through the sacred grounds of the goddess Pollo (Melissa Malloy providing the chicken angle to the story), while the activist Antagone (Julie Wenzel) and the clergyman Rev. Platypus (Steve Scheide) passionately argue against it.

Deciding the fate of the proposed road to the new housing development is a clueless city council (BT veterans Steve Coffey and Marianne Everett and newcomer Mark Wenzel) and their administrator Coriander.

Actually, Coriander has no real power to decide the issue, but the passionate lobbyists are putting pressure on him to use his influence with the council to decide in their favor.

What's a good man to do?

Once again, Breeders Theater comes up with a show that brought plenty of laughs from the enthusiastic preview audience.

Veteran BT actor Martin MacKenzie directs this story filled with the usual fine performances from familiar faces and a couple of new ones.

Doug Knoop as the king of the gods, Dr. Zuess; Eric Hartley as Tentacles and the god of darkness Shades; Julie Wenzel as Antagone and Scott Green as the hero Coriander all turn in their usual fine work.

Making their BT debuts are Mark Wenzel as city councilman Dimes and Adrienne Grieco as Hypochondria and Agenda.

Both performers are welcome additions to the BT family, infusing energy and excellent comic timing to the already amusing proceedings of the evening.

Nancy Warren once again provides the original musical score and the inimitable TM Sell just keeps cranking out the scripts and lyrics.

Oh yes, EB Foote Winery keeps the wine flowing, with an assortment of award-winning offerings to taste throughout the evening.

With such an appealing package of wine, food and entertainment, offered at the always reasonable price of $20, Coriander is the best deal in town.

Check it out.

TM Sell's comedy plays through July 27, with performances every weekend and selected weekday evenings. Tickets are available at Corky Cellars, 22511 Marine View Dr. in Des Moines or at EB Foote, 127-B SW 153rd in Burien.

Call 206-242-3852 or log onto www.breederstheater.com for more information.