They agree they're pretty good at it.

In Shakespeare's sunny romantic comedy about a girl-disguised-as-a-boy who finds adventure in the Forest of Arden, Jim plays Oliver (who starts out nasty, abusing his noble younger brother Orlando, but straightens out by the end). Younger brother Mark plays younger brother Jacques de Boys, who makes a sudden appearance at the end in a deus ex machina that brings an unlikely but happy ending.

Mark, of Bethel, usually performs in musicals, and he likes working with Falcon, where he most recently appeared in Jesus Christ Superstar.

"I was a little taken aback to see him at the audition," says Norwood resident Jim, who prefers straight plays, and who thinks it's probably a good thing they have different stage preferences because "we have enough similarities that we'd probably be going after the same parts."

And, yes, they did have the same two preferences this time, though neither is playing clown Touchstone or philosophic Jacques.

(Jim, by the way, is racing around this month. He's also appearing in FearFest at Kings Island. He's the guy dressed like an undertaker and wearing a top hat and eye patch, urging you to into one line.)

Neither sees a great resemblance between his brother and the role he's playing. "Jim isn't like Oliver," Mark says firmly. "Once Oliver reforms, he's a little more like Jim."

Jacques isn't around long enough to have much personality, they agree. Mark spends the first act playing an ancient servant, and Jim is having fun watching him. But, Jim adds, Mark is a deus ex machina kind of guy. "He helps my wife and I out a lot. Mark is an incredible 'hail fellow well-met' - everybody likes him."

E-mail jdemaline@enquirer.com