In Shakespeare Tavern’s current production of Troilus and Cressida, running now through September 24, almost everything is a delight, from the spot-on performances to the fast-paced, emotional sensibility that keeps the audience engaged and invested in the story.

While the pacing has its flaws, this is a top-notch production with equal measures of emotionally charged tension and side-splitting hilarity — and an arguably feminist message coded into its romantic conflict. If that firm tonal balance does not make the show worth seeing, trust that performances by Adam King and Antonia LaChe alone are worth the price of admission.

Troilus and Cressida has long been considered one of Shakespeare’s “problem plays” — those that defy classical categorization. The play is not easily classified as a tragedy or comedy due to the fact that it swings wildly between bawdy comedy and dark psychological drama. Director Jemma Alix Levy has leaned more toward the comical for this production, ironically striking a balance that manages to tease out the central themes of the play.

The first act is admittedly slow and drags a bit around the midway point. However, the momentum that it does build is due primarily to the comedic stylings of King and LaChe, whose names will almost certainly stay with the audience. Both possess unerring comedic instincts and such an intrinsic understanding of the text that it is impossible for a single line to fall flat while in their capable hands.

King’s Pandarus is a breath of fresh air, and with King’s natural storytelling skills, what could be little more than necessary exposition becomes one of the most enjoyable sequences of the show. As for LaChe, her Thersites is an unrestrained and irrepressible force. Her ability to pull laughs is nearly as powerful as the all-or-nothing physicality that she brings to the character. It says a lot that in a production full of moving performances, the two of them manage to walk away with the…