Vocals: Amy Burr and Lakshman Manjunath; Orchestrations/audio sequencing: Richard DeRosa. “As an Unperfect Actor on the Stage,” Shakespeare’s famous Sonnet #23, compares being smitten by love to an actor who has forgotten his lines on the stage of life. I wanted to incorporate the sound of an accordion for this piece to create a mood of comedy, yet I wanted a feeling of eloquence as well with violins. Co-composer Richard DeRosa uniquely blended the lightheartedness of a polka with the eloquence of a waltz, one of my favorites. The vulnerable nature of the words, now the lyrics of this song, are so universal for anyone who’s fallen in love, and has made a complete fool of them self in the process. Logic and confidence are lost, with those in love becoming caught in the enchanted state of being blinded to the other’s imperfections, tongue-tied and forgetful. This creates a mood of comedy in the beginning, starting off quite awkward, yet the sonnet ends more harmoniously as the lovers in this duet express themselves through their “books.” Then the difference between speculation and reality in their romance is realized. -Deborah Anderson , Co-Composer/Co-Producer Sonnet Love Songs album