Dude, where’s my cat?

Watch out for stray bullets and flying flesh: “The Lieutenant of Inishmore” has come to Portland. Hide your cats and your drug dealers—no one is safe.

“The Lieutenant of Inishmore” tells the morbidly humorous tale of Irish terrorist Padraic and his deep affection for his cat, Wee Thomas, whom Padraic has known for most of his life. Padriac left Wee Thomas in the care of his father, Donny, before leaving his home on Inishmore—an island off the western coast of Ireland—to pursue his dream of becoming an Irish terrorist fighting for a free Ireland.

Padraic spends his days torturing neighborhood drug dealers and starting splinter groups of his own to engage in terrorist glory—which also happens to step on the toes of other terrorist groups, making them perhaps just as disdainful of Padriac as his tortured victims. However, he is drawn back to his childhood home after Donny calls to notify him that his favorite cat has become ill. What follows is a story that goes beyond a terrorist and his love for his cat—as Padriac returns home, he carries with him the dirty laundry that he has been gathering with him over the years.

Donny and Davey wait back on Inishmore and make quite the bumbling pair, fearfully awaiting the return of the craziest man ever produced from the island community. Davey’s sister doesn’t make things easier either, as she bickers with her brother and commonly fires her BB gun in his direction.

The audience is assured from the start that no people—or cats—have been harmed in the production of the play, a measure taken due to the much-promoted gore the production

exhibits.  And gore it certainly has—not much by horror-movie fanatic standards, but more than the average stage production. In fact, there was enough gore for me to be hit in the third row by a stray piece of bloody flesh, later found sticking to me after the lights came up. Gunfire is also common throughout the show, so be prepared for a few random and loud shots. Such portions of the play are pulled off in just the right way, causing a mixture of response of “eww” and laughter.

Thomas Stroppel takes on the role of Padriac, who even by terrorists’ standards seems to have a few screws loose. Stroppel carries the character well throughout the show—the humor associated with his character mostly stems from the extreme madness he brings with him.

Donny, played by Todd Van Voris, along with the neighborhood teenager Davey, played by Nathan Crosby, provide most of the hilarity as they are cast into a web of dark humor and scramble to get out. Due to lack of cleverness, and a bit of drunkenness, they just can’t seem to escape the dangers that suddenly surround them.

Davey’s sister Mairead, played by actress ileana herrin (yes, that name is supposed to be downcapped), bridges the span of humor between the goofy Donny and Davey, and the darkly comedic Padriac.  Mairead bears the enthusiasm of youth, yet might just be as crazy as Padriac.

The Lieutenant of Inishmore keeps the audience eagerly waiting for the next line or scene. At every turn, one wonders how things will end up for Donny, Padriac, Davey or Mairead. You’ll find yourself wondering that when all is said and done: Who will survive the madness and who will get blown away? ?