THEATER REVIEW : Shakespeare Festival Opens With the Comic ‘Twelfth Night’ : First play of the season is held at long-dormant Dennison Park.

One of Shakespeare’s funniest comedies, “Twelfth Night” opens the current season of the Ojai Shakespeare Festival. It’s in a new location--Dennison Park, above the city--and opening earlier in the year than its predecessors. “Twelfth Night” is also a lovely and entertaining way to spend a weekend afternoon in the hills.

Washed up onshore after a shipwreck, Viola falls in love with local nobleman Orsino, who is busy pursuing countess Olivia. In order to be closer to him, Viola disguises herself as a man and finds employment as Orsino’s page, calling herself “Cesario.” Orsino assigns “Cesario” to woo Olivia on his behalf. Olivia has no use for Orsino, but develops a crush on the disguised Viola. That all takes place within the first half hour or so, with the rest of the play devoted to sorting the situation out and to a couple of secondary plots.

The play is one of Shakespeare’s purest comedies. There’s no magic, no tragic undertones, and whatever social and political satire there is holds true nearly four centuries after the play was written--and will as long as people continue to fall, foolishly, in love.

Paul Backer, the Ojai Shakespeare Festival’s artistic director, has cast this production with several well-known local actors, bringing in several ringers from the Big City, as well. Toni Beery is one of those talented locals, here making her festival debut as Viola. A skilled physical comic, Beery gives Viola a wacky dimension in addition to her comically unrequited infatuation with Orsino. Tony Richards, who plays the handsome, mentally barren Orsino, is making his first local appearance.

“Twelfth Night” is another example of Shakespeare providing strong female characters. Others here are the countess Olivia--at first distant (in mourning for her brother), then overly impassioned for “Cesario”; and the maid Maria, actress Michelle Lopez here speaking with what sounds like a Puerto Rican accent as she plots against Olivia’s steward and token bad guy Malvolio. Director Backer has increased the proportion of women, making pirate king Antonio the lusty Antonia (played by Jill Greenwood), and portraying Olivia’s jester as a trio of clowns personified by Antoinette Pineau, Kristin Pelfrey and Frankie Cohen.

(Shannon Warwick, who plays Olivia, and her real-life husband, Benjamin Hess, who plays Viola’s long-lost twin brother, Sebastian, did not perform during last Sunday’s performance; understudies Jaye Hersh and Duryan Wright proved more than capable). Henry Lide and James Leslie play fatuous noblemen Sir Toby Belch (with an accent resembling Jim Nabors’ as Gomer Pyle) and Sir Andrew Auguecheek, comic relief in a show that would be plenty funny without the characters, but is even more so with them. Vincent Wares is very good as the vain, ambitious Malvolio.

In addition to Shakespeare’s own dialogue and plotting, there are numerous original comic moments, among them a brief sword fight between “Cesario” and Auguecheek and several moments spotlighting the three jesters. There’s considerable music, ably provided by members of the Festival’s Measure for Measure Madrigal Singers under musical director Jaye Hersh.

Dennison Park, long dormant, has been revived by the Ventura County Lions Club, which has provided the location to the Shakespeare Festival. While the facility has been improved considerably, it’s still rather rustic, so be forewarned. The festival will return to Libbey Park for its Summer production, “Othello,” in August.

Details

* WHAT: “Twelfth Night”

* WHERE: Dennison Park, Ojai-Santa Paula Road (California 150), Upper Ojai

* WHEN: Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. through June 19

* COST: $8 general admission; $7 seniors; $3 students

* FYI: From Ventura: take California 150 through downtown Ojai past Soule Park and continue about 5 miles up the hill; parking and the amphitheater will be on your left. From Santa Paula: take California 150 past Happy Valley School; parking and the amphitheater will be on your right. Seating is on the dirt or hay bales; cushions or other protection is recommended, as is some protection from the sun. Early arrival is encouraged to guarantee parking. There are minimal sanitary facilities on site. For reservations or further information, call 646-WILL