By John Horan Jr. — Daily Staff Writer

WINCHESTER — Even though the judge is a bribe-taking drunk, ignorant of the law and with the zany temperament of Groucho Marx, he dispenses justice with a wisdom that rivals Solomon's.

The pilot of a new daytime TV court show? No, the pivotal scene of "The Caucasian Chalk Circle," Bertolt Brecht's funny, cynically tinged, love story, which opened Thursday at Shenandoah Conservatory.

Azdak, Brecht's judge, solves a child-custody case by having the contending mothers try to pull the child out of a chalk circle drawn on the floor. The winner, as in the Bible, is unexpected.

But then "The Caucasian Chalk Circle," like all the work of the monumental German playwright, bristles with surprises and moral dilemmas, which the Shenandoah cast, directed by Mark Kittlaus, skillfully explores.

Based on a German version of a Chinese tale, the story centers on the travails of Grusha, a servant girl who rescues her emperor's baby after a palace coup in ancient southern Russia. Trying to keep the child safe, she flees to the mountains where she evades hostile soldiers and even marries a dying soldier to avoid the stigma of being an unwed mother.

As Grusha, Emelie Faith Thompson offers a soulful performance, conveying warmth, pathos and, under the baiting of the judge, a genuine love for her adopted son. She also sings beautifully.

Jordan Cooper is equally satisfying as Azdak, mining the role's rich humor while also expressing a keen awareness of his own moral failings.

Nate Golden is also convincing as Grusha's soldier boyfriend, whose steadfastness is tested by her wanderings. Benjamin JC Luczak is bracing as her cantankerous husband. Kelly Brown is blissfully clueless as the emperor's self-centered wife, and Joey Moray is the conniving prince.

The narrative is enhanced by a female musical ensemble, led by the narrator, Sarah Armstrong, who comment on the action in lush harmonies by Thomas Albert, accompanied by guitar and rhythm instruments.

The production languishes only in its brief prologue, an argument between two sets of people in the Caucasus in the post-Nazi era over who should control their valley. The point is muddled, the dialogue mumbled.

Kate Stevens' set features intriguing abstract panels. Jennifer Vinciguerra supplies the mostly pastel lighting and Jennifer Flitton Adams the richly varied costumes.

*Contact John Horan at jhoran@nvdaily.com

"The Caucasian Chalk Circle"

by Bertolt Brecht

Directed by Mark Kittlaus

Continuing at The Ohrstrom-Bryant Theatre today at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. Box office phone number: 665-4569