MacNichol, Green Photo by Craig Schwartz

When you're still chuckling the next day in remembering a play's cleverly done comedic situations, you know it was a successful production. The Old Globe Theatre has really done it this time with its wildly funny, vigorous production of William Shakespeare's most sophisticated comedy, Twelfth Night.

Audaciously directed by Paul Mullins, (who directed last year's hilarious Wild West rendition of "The Merry Wives of Windsor") and bolstered by Linda Cho's madcap costumes and Ralph Funicello's deceptively classic scenic design, this play of love's madness and pomposity's comeuppance is lots of fun.

Just consider the plot, which includes Shakespeare's signature storylines of mistaken identities, pretentious aristocrats and unrequited love. The Bard's fans will recognize two situational repeats from his earlier comedies, Comedy of Errors (the shipwrecked twins) and Two Gentlemen of Verona (the page as lovers' go-between). But with this work, Shakespeare has perfected his comedic techniques, exhibiting the many facets of love and energizing both the characters and the action. There are no dull moments in this play, or in this production.

The title comes from the end of the Yuletide season, the 12^th day after Christmas, a day of ribald revelry much like our New Year's Eve. As the day begins, Duke Orsino is mooning about over the lady Olivia, who has rejected his advances and settled into mourning for her dead brother.

Meanwhile, a shipwreck has separated the twins, Viola and Sebastian, and cast them and their respective pals separately ashore in this strange land, each presuming the other drowned. Viola assumes a man's disguise and, as Cesario, becomes Orsino's page, a position that makes her his go-between with the recalcitrant Olivia. Sebastian and his buddy, Antonio, set off in search of accommodations, to reappear later in the story.

Sir Toby Belch, having settled himself and his dim-witted pal, Sir Andrew Aguecheek, into his niece Olivia's villa, continues his randy carousing and flirting, especially with Olivia's hand-maid, Maria. Olivia's self-important man-servant, Malvolio, is as earnestly driven to dampen any fun as Sir Toby and his cronies are to make happy happen.

Along the way, Viola falls for Orsino; Olivia falls for Viola (whom she thinks is a man, Cesario); Malvolio gets his just desserts and the twins Viola and Sebastian wreak unwitting havoc with everyone's perceptions as each is mistaken for the other. Of course, this is a comedy, so the right love matches will be made and the proper punishments meted.

But the way this cast and crew get to the playwright's conclusion and embellish the already fantastical storyline is what makes this particular production so special.

Take the setting. Taking colorful liberties with Shakespeare's original seaside Illyria, Mullins chose 1950's Montecarlo, a time and place ripe for muddled gender roles and gaudy beach apparel. Duke Orsino (Gerritt VanderMeer) captures the Male Chauvanist piggy prize, with his rants about male superiority in life and love. His entrance, aboard a Chris Craft vessel in his blinding white suit, sets the play's exaggerated tone and shows off Orsino's inflated ego. Sir Andrew Aguecheek (Bruce Turk) gets the best costumed and worst dressed award, with zany ensembles that include a 2-piece beach costume, accented with snorkel, flippers and his zinc oxided nose.

Director Paul Mullins allowed his lively, mostly veteran, cast to make bold choices, to larger-than-even comedic-life results. Katie MacNichol is a fabulous Olivia, capturing every nuance of her rather silly female character and saving her from the ridiculous. Her bits with the Polaroid camera are among the show's highlights. Some of the bright sparks are the drinks with little paper parasols sipped by Sir Toby and Sir Andrew, Olivia's gals in their sunglasses checking out Cesario, the new guy in town, and the beach umbrellas that Malvolio's tormentors hide behind.

Eric Hoffmann's Sir Toby Belch is an admirably wicked ringleader of revelry, and Bruce Turk's capering, absurdly vulnerable Sir Andrew Aguecheek completes a perfect pairing of the mastermind and his foil. As the wise fool Feste, James Newcomb enriches the character with his mellow songs and barmy cavorting.

The play's richest part belongs to Malvolio, and Patrick Page makes it pay off with his haughty posturing, sporting a whistle and writing every little staff infraction in his black notebook. The scene when he tries out his smile to impress his mistress is the play's most hilarious. Malvolio is the victim of the play's only intentional cruelty, and it is to Page's credit that he elicits sympathy for the character's plight, even though his arrogance has brought the punishment on himself.

It is Maria, Olivia's maid, who engineered the practical joke, and her character is jauntily and fully lived in MFA student Aubrey Saverino, who has a wonderful laugh and excellent timing, too. Dana Green's Viola is versatile, with both a disarming sweetness and a comic charm. She must take care not to drop her words, though, as the outdoor venue can swallow the subtler sentences. Garritt VanderMeer at first seemed a little stiff as the maddeningly egotistical Orsino, reciting rather than speaking, but he warmed up to the role and made Viola's adoration more believable by the end.

The end came too soon in this bizarre, preposterous and wildly funny play, but the chuckles lingered on. Don't miss this chance to laugh a lot!

Twelfth Night plays in repertory with Edmond Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac and Shakespeare's Coriolanus on San Diego's Old Globe Theatre outdoor Festival Stage in Balboa Park through September 27. Curtain is at 8 pm, Tues-Sun. Tickets are $29-$68, with discounts for students, seniors and active military. Reservations: www.TheOldGlobe.org or (619) 23-GLOBE.