Williams wrote "A Period of Adjustment" just after his success with "Sweet Bird of Youth" and just before taking on "The Night of the Iguana." Both of those are typical Williams dramas.

"A Period of Adjustment" is, however, a departure from the Williams' norm and put the playwright smack dab into the unfimiliar territory of writing a comedy and about marriage, two things far afield from his life's experiences. Since Williams was unable to bring himself to pen a simple comedy, there are all sorts of dark shadows spred throught "A Period of Adjustment"; the Korean War and its aftereffects, the distructiveness of overprotective parents, sexual dysfunction, mental cruelty, fears of loneliness and gloom about the future.

How's that for a fun evening in the theater?

That this fragile comedy is so amusing and touching is a testament to Williams's genius. Especially since the first act is filled exclusively with enormous amounts of dialogue between two characters; a slightly confused middle-aged chap whose wife has just walked out on him and the strange, wan bride his war buddy has deposited on his doorstep before taking off. Interestingly, and more to the point, Williams makes us care about these people, whose only major flaws seem to be their humanity.

Regardless, no matter how well written, for the play to work the cast must gel.

In this Nevada Rep production Janine Burgener is the bewildered bride to Timothy M. Whalen's perplexed host, with Bill McCandless as her disturbed new husband. All three deliver excellent performances, and - in a tough play where the right words in the right places with the right inflections play such a pivotal role in an audience's understanding - that's no minor achievement.

Whalen has a firm grasp on his character's dilemmas. Burgener is quite comfortable as the talkative, sweetly silly, newly wed wife. And McCandless is thoroughly believable as the recalcitrant husband, whose sexual fears bring on the St. Vitus shakes, although those much ballyhooed shakes are not very evident in McCandless's performance.

In supporting roles (great parts, but nowhere to be seen until Act III) Melissa Lichtfield plays the sad and much maligned wife who walked out on her host-husband on Christmas Eve. Lichtfield is vulnerable and appealing in what is the play's central role for resolving its many conflicts. As the overprotective parents, Williams creations of over-the-top boorishness, Christine O'Donnell and Mike Kari play insensitivity for all it's worth. O'Donnell's storming out of her daughter's broken home with her little girl's wardrobe in tow is an actor's dream exit and O'Donnell makes the most of it.

Bob Dillard's direction is light and nicely paced. Michael Fernbach's set design (an attractive split-level home with fireplace) and lighting are first-rate and provide the play with a homey, holiday feeling that adroitly plays off "Adjustment's" roster of odd-ball Williams' characters.

"A Period of Adjustment" is choice summer theatrical fare of a rarely produced play by a major American playwright. "Adjustment" plays tonight through Saturday (6/12/99) at 8 p.m. at the Redfield Studio Theatre on the University of Nevada, Reno campus. For information call 775 784 6847.