LARKSPUR • You might think the Colorado Renaissance Festival is a strange venue for a theater critic to practice his craft. But in one sense, the whole place can be considered one big theater, with hundreds of costumed actors playing their parts - even if most of those parts consist solely of trying to separate you from your hard-earned money.

The good news is that if you can get past those "acts," you'll find more traditional theatrical acts performing almost constantly at one of eight stages scattered throughout the grounds. And best of all, they don't cost you a dime (although a small tip is asked for and, usually, well-earned).

I didn't have time to catch them all, but what I did see provided a fairly goodly mix of acrobatics, comedy and magic.

Puke & Snot - Sadly, the original Snot died last year, but Puke found a very capable replacement in John Gamoke (otherwise known as Snot Jr.). These guys often made me feel as if I were watching the Johnny Carson show (yes, some of the jokes were that old), but they delivered their double-entendres with such rapidity and panache that you couldn't help loving them for it. This act has been part of the festival since 1981. The enthusiastic response from the audience made it clear that it's still the best-loved.

Arsene of Paris - If you, as I do, avoid mimes because they're always trying too hard to be liked, you'll definitely want to check out this guy. He doesn't try at all. He does perform some amusing, if mostly entry-level, magic tricks, but the heart of his act is the hilarious disdain he shows his audience at every turn. Make sure you applaud or you might lose your beer.

Washing Well Wenches - It took awhile for this pair of dentally challenged damsels to get their act going, but once they did, they kept the audience laughing - and cowering - with their watery antics ("the louder you cheer, the drier you'll stay!") They were especially adept at humiliating select male members of the audience in exchange for a flower they could give to their sweethearts.

Jousting - By far, the most popular event at the festival. I loved the pageantry and spectacle, and the medieval "cheerleaders" did a good job of getting the audience fired up for the four colorfully costumed knights. The dialogue, however, was a little stagy (not unlike most movies about the era, come to think of it) and the combat was dismissed by my 13-year-old as "fake." Could be really thrilling with some better acting.

Great Balls of Fire - I was never quite sure if his crazed demeanor was part of his act or if he really is crazy, but the wild-eyed Wilsome Fire succeeded in igniting the audience by igniting various parts of his body (ever see a guy light a torch with his tongue?). If nothing else, he'll give you a fascinating rundown on the effects of accidentally ingesting gasoline.

Ded Bob - A ventriloquist act featuring a skeleton as an insult-spewing dummy. It seemed a bit of a cheat for the ventriloquist to keep his face covered (how do we know he doesn't move his lips if we can't see them?). But this was one of the freshest acts at the festival: Bob's continually ad-libbed zingers were as clever as they were funny. I especially enjoyed the barbs he aimed at the other acts.

The German Brothers - New this year, this strange little act features two brawny "brothers" who dress like Bavarian peasants and pose and preen like supermodels. Think Zoolander with a Teutonic accent. They also threw in some mildly humorous rap songs, but it's never a good sign when your volunteers get more laughs than you do.

Barely Balanced - Another new act this year, these talented acrobats - two men and a woman named Large, Medium and Small - wowed the audience with their impressive feats of balance, fire juggling and self-deprecating comedy. I still don't know if Medium meant to drop that torch so close to Large's nether regions, but it sure looked unplanned to me.

RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

When: 10 a.m.-6:30 p.m. Saturdays-Sundays through Aug. 2
Where: 650 W. Perry Park Ave., Larkspur
Theme: This weekend, it's a Celtic Festival, with plenty of Irish and Scottish music and dancing.
Admission: $17.95/$8 ages 5-12/free kids 4 and younger, discount tickets at King Soopers; 1-877-259-3328 or coloradorenaissance.com.

GRADE: B