WHEN IT COMES to Shakespearean romance, nothing is ever quite as it seems. Women constantly disguising as men, fools providing wisdom to elderly sages--you name the incongruity, and chances are, it's there. Yet somehow, amidst such seeming chaos, playwright and characters always manage to extricate themselves from confusion and discover matrimonial bliss before the final curtain falls.

Knowing this, it's difficult to watch the Huntington Theatre's season-opening production of Twelfth Night without expecting the unexpected. The question never really is whether the tool is right, but rather just how much absurdity will be suffered before his wisdom resonates to the others on stage. Despite this predictability, Twelfth Night is anything but a tedious rehashing of tried and true wisdom. The actors are dynamic, the performance is lively, and even the venerable cliches seem to come alive with freshness.

Like most of the late romances, Twelfth Night's confusion arises in part from a tearful tale of past woe. Viola (Elizabeth McGovern) has lost her twin brother in a tempest at sea, and assuming him dead, disguises herself in his clothing to pay tribute to his memory. This causes her considerable discomfort, however, since she is forced to hide her love for her "fellow" friend Curio (James Bodge). Add to this Curio's lover Olivia (Margaret Reed) falling unwittingly head over heels for McGovern, and you have the makings of a maze that keeps both actors and audience in a perpetual state of dizzy motion.

In part, a good portion of the play's success owes itself to McGovern, best known for her acclaimed screen performances in Ordinary People and Ragtime. McGovern's history of playing sophisticated, mildly brash characters equips her well for the role of Viola, and the physical similarity between her and her stage brother Antonio (John Leighton) makes the ruse all the more entertaining. Although McGovern does have a tendency to draw out the delivery of her lines, disrupting the otherwise lively syncopation of the rest of the cast, her performance is, on the whole, solid.

MORE CRITICAL to the play's success, however, are the lively and powerful performances of the other members of the cast, who work both individually and as a troupe to keep the audience laughing throughout. As the fool Osino, Gary Armagnac blends just the right amount of wit and wisdom to successfully mock love and the gentrified aristocracy. Jack Aranson (Sir Toby Belch) and Francis Cuka (Maria) also provide the play with some of its most amusing--and bawdy--humor in their defiance of courtly propriety. And by far the most hilarious performance of the evening is Joseph Costa's portrayal of the cantakeorous Malvolio, whose vanity and self-importance trap him into--among other ludicrously comic gestures--adorning himself in yellow stockings.

The actor's outstanding performances are second only to the elaborate and colorful set and costumes. The creative scene changes and special effects make the stage an artistic delight, and by the time the elaborate wedding scene rolls around at the play's conclusion, the spectacle is a visual masterpiece.

Twelfth Night is a Shakespeare fan's delight, and the Huntington's production is nothing show of perfect. The cast is dynamic, the direction is excellent, and the masterful balance of bawdiness and wisdom promise to make even the stuffiest of Malvolios leave smiling.