(Enlarge) Kathryn Falcone and Tony Tsendeas in the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival production of "Twelfth Night." (photo by Raine Bode)

Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night" is such a festive play that it's easy to understand why the Baltimore Shakespeare Festival makes it seem like a Mardi Gras celebration. The production opens with the cast playing jazzy music as if this were a rowdy parade in New Orleans rather than a formal stroll across the meadow of the Evergreen Museum & Library. It instantly puts you in a good mood.

The New Orleans references otherwise are rather spotty. There is Spanish moss hanging above a patio furniture-filled veranda that would fit into that southern city, and the occasional southern accent comes and goes.

As the production itself goes on, it increasingly seems like that New Orleans connection hasn't been fully thought out. Thankfully, that's not a problem when the actors immerse themselves in a silly story that touches on serious themes.

Shakespeare's subtitle for his play was "What You Will," which a 21st-century teen-ager might render as "Well, whatever." This densely populated and plotted play deals with the consequences of unrequited love through a dizzying assortment of complicating incidents ranging from shipwrecks to cross-dressing.

The twins Viola (Molly Moores) and Sebastian (Jonathan Lee Taylor) have been separated and each believes the other to be dead. Viola is alone trying to make her way through a man's world, and she decides she'll stand a better chance if she disguises herself as a man.

As a servant with assignments that require an ambassador's skill, the disguised Viola runs messages back and forth between her boss, the dapper duke Orsino (Nick Vienna), and the somber-tempered but beautiful Olivia (Erin Sloan). Although Olivia severely rebuffs Orsino's amorous appeals, Orsino won't give up on the courtship. Poor disguised Viola must woo on his behalf, when in fact she has a crush on Orsino.

This is but one of several humorous plot strands in "Twelfth Night," whose characters encounter many obstacles in their pursuit of love - and this is literally a matter of pursuit in a play that involves numerous short scenes and a lot of running around. Life is hectic in the pastoral Illyria where Shakespeare sets his play.

The Baltimore Shakespeare Festival production doesn't do as much as it could to bring out the melancholic undertone to the comic scenes, but it's hard to complain when you're laughing.

The overall success of this production owes a lot to the smart casting for twins Viola and Sebastian. Moores and Taylor have a physical resemblance even before they're costumed in nearly identical outfits, and their spirited performances build nicely to the moment of amazement when the long-separated twins finally meet again.

Director Laura Hackman encourages the sort of extroverted performances that are easily accomodated in a comedy where practical jokes are the norm. The funniest example is when a fun-loving group of titled people and servants -- including the affably drunk Sir Toby Belch (Tony Tsendeas), the singing fool Feste (Stephen Patrick Martin), the windy speech-inclined Sir Andrew Aguecheek (John Benoit), and the earthy Maria (Kathryn Falcone) -- decide to play a joke on the pompous servant Malvolio (Dana Whipkey). They lead Malvolio to mistakenly believe that his employer, Olivia, secretly loves him, and the resulting scenes are hilarious.

The escalating action merrily carries "Twelfth Night" through New Orleans-tinged Illyria. A capable cast knows how to get a laugh, and the technical production manages to negotiate the many scene changes on the linked platforms comprising the outdoor set.

One sound-related reservation concerns stage microphones that seem as sensitive to the actors' feet as to their voices. This tends to be mildly distracting, but does seem appropriate in a scene whose happy movement verges on tap dancing.

"Twelfth Night" runs through July 13 on the meadow at Evergreen Museum & Library, at 4545 N. Charles St., in Baltimore. Remaining performances are Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 to $25. Call 410-366-8596 or go to www.baltimoreshakespeare.org.

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