With his black beret and punk ripped jeans, he looks a cross between Ché Guevara and a chain-gang fugitive. Astoria High School senior Elijah Knight is exactly the sort of hitchhiker you would never pick up between Emerald Heights and Uniontown, even in a hailstorm.

Had Alan Batchelder lived in 14th-century England, poet Geoffrey Chaucer would have dubbed him a “veray parfit gentil knight.” The former Seaside City Councilman is a rare fellow who engages his brain before speaking, softly and with purpose.

They are contrasting-aged compatriots in a summer acting adventure, having fallen under the spell of Nancy Montgomery, an enchantress who conjures up magic under the Astoria Bridge as co-owner of The River Theatre.

Amateur theater is an unusual team sport where players of equal importance may range in age from Knight’s 16 to Batchelder’s 72. In Twelfth Night, Knight portrays Feste, Shakespeare’s most cerebral fool; Batchelder plays Sir Andrew Aguecheek, the gullible pal of a minor-league Falstaff. Both speak words written in 1601 with panache and confidence.

Professional director Meg Patterson, who manages The River, knew she was taking a chance casting Knight, though prior work as an assistant stage manager had demonstrated his reliability, despite his fidgety nature.

“There is something in Elijah’s own spirit that matches the Fool’s world view nicely,” she said. “He is an incredibly kind and wise young man, and is always teaching others lessons, without even realizing that he is.”

Karen Bain, The River’s co-founder, directed Knight in a children’s musical at Clatsop Community College five or six years ago. “It was obvious he had something special even then,” she recalled.

At his California high school in 1953, Batchelder was a year ahead of a “personable” actor named Dennis Hopper, and even beat him for the lead in Mr. Barry’s Etchings. Batchelder acted his way through Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, before serious careers took over. For his return, he has resisted temptations to make Sir Andrew a silly sidekick, instead drawing on skills as a trained counselor to pinpoint relationships and themes during rehearsal discussions.

The production balances seasoned veterans with first-time actors. Leading ladies Lily Carignan of Long Beach, Wash., and Lisa Fergus, of Seaside, both in their mid-twenties, have greasepaint in their blood. They stride on to the stage, fearless and inspiring. Their diction is clear; Shakespeare does not intimidate them.

Others are used to performing in different ways. Gentlemanly Knappa teacher Lloyd Bowler is a valued understudy. His keen intelligence helps him copy his mentor, while adding his own style to the character. Listeners to KMUN will put a face to a familiar voice with Carlton Bear, whose weathered visage signals perfection in casting.

The newcomers’ enthusiasm is charming. Joe Maki, a keen Civil War re-enactor, is savoring his first speaking role. A tow-truck driver, he was regularly called away from rehearsals to rescue stranded motorists. For long-suffering stage manager Shellyene Winans, the bugler’s tones of Maki’s cell phone created hilarity and tension in unequal measures.

As director of operations for the Pacific Marine Conservation Council, Deborah McEuen spends her days maintaining sustainable fisheries along the Columbia River. Evenings, she portrays a saucy maid who conspires and cavorts with Sir Toby Belch.

A clumsy child ballerina who resisted the lure of the stage as she matured, McEuen is hooked.

“The entire cast and crew have been incredibly team-spirited, and willing to work extremely hard,” she said. “Volunteers came forward to lend their talents in such ways as costuming, set design, music, lighting and promotional activities – providing a wonderful example of how community members will give of themselves and work together.”

For herself in mid-life, the spotlight is timely. “The opportunity to participate in this production has truly been a life-altering experience for me,” she said.

Four hundred years ago, before Freud or backspace-delete, a matchless Englishman wrote about love, power and human foibles. Watch the genius of a girl, mourning for her twin brother whom she believes drowned, pretend to be a man, causing romantic complications that astonish and delight. Boring it ain’t.

– P.W.

Patrick Webb, managing editor of The Daily Astorian, appears in The River Theatre’s production of Twelfth Night this weekend and next. For dates and times of the six remaining performances, log on to www.coastweekend.com. Call 325-7487 for tickets.