Sicken and So Die

For actor Charles Paris, life is wonderful for a change: Frances, his wife, has let him back into her apartment (and bed), and he has landed the splendid role of Sir Toby Belch in Twelfth Night. Of course, none of this can last. At a publicity party, the director succumbs to abdominal cramps severe enough to hospitalize him. Enter Alexandru Radulescu, an avant-garde director who says Shakespeare writes only about sex. As the provocative, spectacle-loving Radulescu slices and dices the comedy to shreds, Charles, who clings to a traditional interpretation, becomes increasingly resented by his colleagues, all of whom appear to be turning into Radulescu groupies. When, following a group dinner, another member of the company falls sufficiently ill to leave the show, Charles suspects foul play...