FANCY PANTS

Barbara Caruso's performance gives even an ordinary romantic comedy dimension, and what might otherwise feel leaden takes on vitality and freshness. In 1890, 17-year-old Lady Sydney Hathwell flees the advances of a boorish suitor by traveling to her uncle's Texas ranch. Since her uncle doesn't like women, Sydney disguises herself as a man. Caruso's characterizations are varied, subtle, and believable. Her uncle's partner, Tim Creighton, wants to make a man out of "Fancy Pants"; a passel of colorful ranch hands tease the greenhorn; the lively, all-knowing housekeeper and the "soiled doves" (prostitutes) keep Sydney's gender-bending secret; and Sydney falls hard for Tim. Despite conventional plot devices and some lengthy passages that slow the action, Caruso's magic makes this story from Recorded Books Inspirational worth a listen. S.J.H. © AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine [Published: NOVEMBER 2008]