Spoiler alert: As all the screwball antics of mistaken identities unwind at the end of Idaho Shakespeare Festival's "Comedy of Errors," there comes one sincere moment. It is when husband and wife, Egeon and Emilia, reunite after decades apart, thinking the other was dead.

The moment usually gets buried in most productions of this play, which tend to overflow with schtick.

But here, there is a nice emotional payoff. One reason is the mannered and heartfelt performance of Jane Merrow as Emilia.

Merrow is new to the company and one of the only actors to come from the world of film and television to work at the festival.

With more than 20 years in the business, she received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 1968 for her work in the Academy-Award winning "The Lion in Winter," which starred Peter O'Toole and Katharine Hepburn.

Merrow grew up in a theatrical family and trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, one of the best programs in the world for acting and technical theater.

With striking eyes and a warm smile, she worked solidly in film and British and American television for more than 20 years.

It has been a surprise and a challenge to find herself back on the stage after so many years, Merrow said recently.

"I'm quite overwhelmed and really excited by it all, and I'd forgotten how hard it is."

During rehearsals with the ISF company, she dug into the work of theater, learning her lines.

"It's wonderful for the younger actors to see this woman step into a role, originated by someone else in Cleveland, and make it her own," said Dudley Swetland, who plays Emilia's long-lost husband, Egeon. "I think she does a great job. I wish I had more time with her on stage."

When the company actors learned that Merrow was coming for the summer, many of them started quoting from the movie, which is a favorite among actors, said Lynn Allison, who is in her 11th season in the company.

"She's so dear. I know it's been hard for her, coming into a company that is so fast paced. Everyone knows each other, and expectations are very high," Allison said. "She is doing very well."

Merrow has been coming to Idaho for years to visit her son, who moved here several years ago with Merrow's ex-husband.

Her son now lives in Boise and Merrow visits him often. Merrow bought a small house in the North End and splits her time between Idaho and London.

"I've been to see the Shakespeare theater here and I felt they do really, really good work. And I thought, wouldn't it be fun to work there, if I can get a job," she said.

That was easy enough. She dropped off a resume and headed back to London. A few weeks later producing artistic director Charles Fee invited her to perform with the company.

Her small part in "Comedy of Errors" is her first on-stage performance in many years.

"Terrified, I was. What have I done, I thought. I haven't done Shakespeare in a long time," she said.

Beyond her work on stage she brings a touch of film and theater history. She worked in the British theater with some of the luminary figures of the day.

James Goldman adapted his stage play for the screen. "The Lion in Winter" is about a seriously dysfunctional royal family at Christmas in 1183. O'Toole played Henry I and Hepburn played his queen Eleanor of Aquitaine.

Very quickly, Merrow found herself swimming in some pretty impressive company with the two legendary stars, plus co-stars Anthony Hopkins ("Silence of the Lambs"), Timothy Dalton (James Bond in "Living Daylights") and Nigel Terry ("Excalibur"), all early in their careers, all in their feature film premieres.

The role was a remarkable moment in her career, she said, and makes for great stories today, such as her audition with O'Toole, who personally chose each of the young actors in the film.

They read a scene from "Country Dance," a play Merrow was performing at the time.

"I was getting good reviews, and I thought I was the bee's knees. But we were outdoors and the wind was blowing. I had very long hair and it was all over the place and they couldn't see my face or hear me clearly," she said. "We were rattling along and suddenly he said, 'I don't believe a thing you're saying.' And I froze. I thought, 'Oh, my God, I'm obviously never going to get this part.' They called me back the next day and I was suitably humbled by the great O'Toole."

Today, Merrow also writes a blog about her experiences, including working at the Shakespeare company. She also is working in the fledgling business of making Web-isodes, mini dramas for Internet downloads, that people can watch during a commute on a train.

"It's really interesting and I love it. Now, I have to figure out how to make money from it," she said.

Dana Oland: 377-6442