YORK Shakespeare Project director Mark Smith takes his cue from Duke Orsino's opening musing, "If music be the food of love".

Music is everywhere in Smith's actor-musician version of Shakespeare's rustic comedy, not only in the quartet of songs already in Shakespeare's text but also before the show, at the start of each half and even for linking scenes, courtesy of Australian ex-pat composer Fergus McGlynn, who returned from six weeks in the bush with tunes aplenty.

Smith favoured a folk template, already in vogue from the work of Northern Broadsides and Alexander Wright's Flangan Collective, and he steered McGlynn, his bandmate in York combo The Rusty Pegs, in the direction of Fleet Foxes and Canadian musician Old Man Luedecke.

All the cast of 12 either sings or plays an acoustic instrument, predominantly guitar or ukulele, and in the tradition of folk club floor acts, it is a wonderfully inclusive way of welcoming the audience and breaking down the fourth wall.

It is lovely too to see Laura Soper's Viola willingly grabbing a ukulele or concertina in the few spare moments she is not pre-occupied with driving this fast-moving production forward. More of Laura later.

Smith's second key decision is to have his cast create not only the music but also all the live sound effects, from whatever they find on Maria Terry and Roberto del Pino's set: a two-tiered attic with trunks, cases, wardrobes, an old radio and lampshades galore.

For the storm scene, the tempest is conveyed by a combination of scraping mallets across a surface and rolling croquet balls.

Likewise, in keeping with London company The Factory, props are called into improvised service, for example when Viola's duel with Matthew Wignall's Sir Andrew Aguecheek is fought out between a mallet and a fly swat.

The effect is to remind you that the real meaning of a "play" is to play, like children do or Sir Toby Belch (Paul Osborne) and "the lighter people" do in adulthhood. People like Beryl Nairn's Fabian, Wignall's Stan Laurelesque Aguecheek and Stephanie Cassidy's Maria.

On the other hand, there are killjoys such as Nick Jones's splendidly preposterous Malvolio and those caught up in matters of the heart, either pursuing love or burdened with a heavy soul from separation.

Into this category fall Orsini (very striking University of York student Jason Ryall), initially struck on Olivia (Emily White), but soon fascinated as they both are by Soper's Viola, who has disguised herself as Cesario to work in Orsino's court after the storm.

Meanwhile, her lost brother Sebastian (Matt Pattison) and Antonio (Dan Hardy) have serious matters eating away at them.

In a mighty impressive cast, Soper takes the honours with the best teenage performance this reviewer has seen in years. She has a beautiful speaking voice, as musical as all the folk instruments, and a face that constantly draws you in. Stage school surely awaits; York has a young gem shining already.

Observing everything, ukulele in hand, is Maurice Crichton's Feste, very much the "witty fool", not the "foolish wit". Along with Soper, he is an inspired piece of casting by Smith; strong singing, nimble movement, chameleon voice and always humorous.

ThisTwelfth Night ranks in the highest echelons of YSP productions: a Shakespeare comedy that never strains too hard and is full of wit, romance and fabulous music.

Twelfth Night, York Shakespeare Project, York Theatre Royal, until April 12, 7.45pm and 2pm Saturday matinees. Box office: 01903 623568 or at yorktheatreroyal.co.uk