kicked off the third season of its Trek in the Park series Saturday with a campy recreation of the classic "Star Trek" episode

The free performance had all the charming hallmarks of the company's previous shows, showing why these productions have become such hits with Portland audiences.

"Mirror, Mirror" is among a handful of the 1960s sci-fi series' best episodes, and it gets a loving treatment here. A transporter malfunction takes four Enterprise crewmembers to a parallel universe where the id dominates the super-ego, and violent chaos is the norm, and assassination is how people ascend to the captain's chair.

Leading the company again this year is Adam Rosko, who has plenty of swagger as Captain Kirk, and delivers enough of his lines in the hammy style of original star William Shatner to keep the crowd giggling. He's joined in this alternate reality by Paul Pistey as the always-acerbic Dr. McCoy, Dana Thompson as a forceful Lt. Uhura, and Nate Ayling as the bumbling chief engineer Scotty. And straddling both universes is Jesse Graff, who offers a deliciously deadpan interpretation of Mr. Spock in both his evil and benevolent sides.

The hour-long show, which Rosko also directed, features several hilarious fight sequences that get the crowd cheering, as well as a brisk preview of next summer's show, a recreation of the alien-filled episode

The only downside to all the fun is how much Trek in the Park has outgrown its setting in Northeast Portland's Woodlawn Park. The small amphitheater was at full capacity more than two hours before the show began, and the bulk of the audience had to sit on a lawn behind the show's main staging area, where hearing dialogue is difficult. It's time for Atomic Arts to graduate to the large amphitheater in Washington Park, allowing everyone to hear and see all the action.

Trek in the Park's "Mirror, Mirror" continues at 5 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays through July 31 in Northeast Portland's Woodlawn Park; free.



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