Kim Mason as Ophelia and John Dixon as Shakespeare in Cardinal Newman's Midwinter's Nightmare

The Cardinal Newman Card Players have hit their stride. This year's renditions of Shakespeare's Midwinter's Nightmare and Cloak & Dagger are easily their best since Patrick Boos took over the Drama program three years ago. Boos chose two humorous but very different plays each with large ensemble casts. The preparation was a Herculean task, but on the nights of the performances it all paid off. The first production was Shakespeare's Midwinter's Nightmare, and although the name is reminiscent of a Midsummer Night's Dream the action has nothing to do with it.

In this offering, Shakespeare is suffering writer's block and is bedridden with a fever. He dreams he is being visited by some of his most famous characters and one from the Greek classics. Each specter tries to help him but most, with the exception of the madcap Puck, end up being more of a hindrance than a help.

Alex Jones as Romeo and Nick Bozard as Oedipus in Cardinal Newman' s Midwinter's Nightmare.

Shakespeare's shrew wife Anne was convincingly portrayed by Lanier Smith. Alex Jones played a deadpan Romeo who, paired with Kim Spade's comic Juliet, drew many laughs each night, but Nick Riccardi as Puck stole the show with his zany antics and over- the- top portrayal.

The night's entertainment continued with Cloak & Dagger, a spoof of Casa Blanca. Zack Jones as Nick and Kelly Morris as Ziggy kept the show moving at a good pace and drew quite a few laughs with their well- timed quips and exchanges.

By contrast, Patrick Morris played the perfect stodgy Englishman and Rita El- Khabbaz was convincing as a cunning and beautiful Russian thief. This plot had more twists and turns than a winding country road, a good measure of conspiracy, an unexpected murder, and more than the usual number of suspects.

The action centered on a fictional town in Northern Africa during WWII. It was steeped in intrigue with a humorous twist sustained mostly by Kelly Morris's mocking yet skillful portrayal of Ziggy and Zack Jones's solid performance as Nick.

Every time the audience thought they had it figured out, a new red herring was thrown into the mix. Not a soul in the theater had the slightest clue who the elusive "General" was until the very end of the play when it was revealed.

The Card Players will entertain again this spring.