TWELFTH NIGHT

The songs are impressively rendered (by Stephen Sutcliffe as Feste) in this romantic comedy of twins and mistaken identity, but other aspects of this performance disappoint. The responses of the live audience give a good indication of the overall merits and drawbacks. They enjoy the low comedy of insults and slapstick but sit silent through the play's more thoughtful humor based on personality and the deceptions of disguise. The actors tend to read their lines without capturing the subtleties of personality. Lewis Gordon as Sir Toby Belch, for example, has too precise diction for this tipsy, party-loving lout. An earnest but uneven production. G.H. (c) AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine [Published: OCT/ NOV 02]