Post-Post is an extremely fun, yet socially incisive absurdist comedy about the changing ways in which we communicate.

Created and performed solely by Carly Milroy and Harley Hefford, the story focuses on two postal workers, Elma Lady-face and Stanley Man-head as they try and find a way to stop their impending unemployment in a dying industry. Stanley is a simple-minded optimist with a heart of gold, while Elma is the bossy and practical opposite who has great passion for her job, and most of all, for the power of letters. However, they live in the town of Samsung, where everyone drinks protein shakes, you can not get anything for 10 cents at the milk bar and nobody sends letters anymore. Therefore, they come up with a plan to get the town writing to each other again.Yet, as in most absurdist comedies, it all descends into farce quite quickly.

While at its surface, the performance is at times surreal and ridiculous, it is, on a deeper level, a look at the way human beings communicate. Instead of allowing the play to become a call towards returning to the times of old, it is instead concerned with reinvigorating the values of old for today’s technologically-directed generation. From poking fun at Snapchat and Youtube to the newsroom to the domestic home, it does not just show how silly modern methods of communication are, but how absurd communication is in general. Characters, of which there are many, often misunderstand each other, ignore the comments of others and take any words in front of them as fact. Essentially, it transforms in front of your eyes into a meaningless hodge-podge into a constructed story suggesting that people try to talk more, rather than reducing one’s feelings to a symbol on a screen.

The show is filled with an array of characters, all of which are played by Carly and Harley, changing genders and roles within minutes. Characters are really only defined by their occupations, with names like The Courier and The Milk-Bar Owner, as everyone is constantly reduced to gender and cultural stereotypes. As changes are frequent, it is often hard to keep track of who is who. But, it is this almost controlled frantic nature which makes it so fun. When they make a mistake, it is not obvious whether it was intentional because of the lightning-fast improvisation from both of them. The inherent awareness that this is just a show is what makes it so enjoyable. However, the focus of the show is on Stanley and Elma, and it is with them where the talent of both Carly and Harley show.

Being performed in a small room above The Courthouse Hotel, the ability for much movement is limited. But, the duo take in all in their stride, as they jump from musical interlude to different props (often constructed out of paper). With barely any room between them and the first room, it is impressive that they appear both so composed and jumbled. The surreal moments and unexplained breaks into two different Barbra Streisand songs may disorientate some looking for a complete story, but it is much more than what it seems to be. Both Carly and Harley are bound to experience success in both the comedy world and the art world if this show is anything to go by. It is at times hilarious, at times legitimately touching, but overall, a perspective we often forget: that expressing to each other is a unique aspect of our lives and should be more open than it is at the moment.

Click here for more information about the show and to purchase tickets.