Portland shows off some weirdness

PORTLAND, Maine - Consider making a New Year's resolution to have more fun. To that end, there might be no greater inspiration than the Phyzgig Festival of Physical Comedy, running here through Dec. 31.

We're talking multigenerational comedy here. Think old-style vaudeville skits and comedy routines, juggling, magic, puppets, and stories, with a live pit band.

Performers come from across the country and Canada. One of the best-known, Avner the Eccentric, lives in the Portland area, and is one of the festival producers. He'll be performing at the New Year's Eve show, along with his wife, Julie Goell.

Avner describes the festival artists as a group of people who have "spent years and years perfecting these weird skills."

Among which skills you might see: Portland-area legend Leland Faulkner, a hand-shadow puppet artist; Amanda Crockett, who combines hat manipulations with a trapeze act; and Jacob Sharpe, considered one of the greatest diaboloists in the country (for the uninitiated, imagine a combination of juggling and Chinese yo-yo). Evening shows are open to all ages, and special afternoon Phyzkidz shows are geared especially for kids.

Phyzgig Festival of Physical Comedy presents shows nightly at 7, with an extra 2 p.m. show on New Year's Eve. Portland Performing Arts Center, 25A Forest Ave., 207-854-0065, www.phyzgig.org. Adults $18, students and seniors $14, children ages 12 and under $12. Phyzkidz shows Dec. 28-30, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., SPACE Gallery, 538 Congress St. Adults $12, students and seniors $10, 12 and under $8.

KATHY SHORR