To Master the Art follows generally the same plot of the Julia Child story in Julie and Julia, beginning with Julia in post-war Paris determined to learn to cook in the French style and continuing through the publication of her book "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." As written by William Brown (who also directed) and Doug Frew, and as performed by Karen Janes Woditsch, Julia is warm, funny, down-to-earth, lovable and vulnerable—a character who could say "Sacré bleu and howdy do" without feeling awkward. To my memory, it's a deeper, more nuanced performance than we saw from Meryl Streep in Julie and Julia. Maybe it just seems more genuine because Ms. Woditsch is not so known to us as is Ms. Streep, whose familiarity makes it hard to forget she's an actor. In any event, we stop making comparisons to either Streep or the real Ms. Child (who is shown on video in the lobby) early on and believe her character. Woditsch, in the intimacy of the TimeLine Theatre shows us Child's insecurity at being in her late thirties without a career of her own and her unique mixtures of strength and sensitivity, self-consciousness and gregariousness. With her facial expressions and tiny gestures, she makes us believe Child has a powerful love of food. Her nasal twang and awkward gait have just enough similarity to the real deal without becoming mimicry or caricature. It's a marvelous lead performance, but one that is supported by a cast of equally perfect performances that create a family of warm and generous characters.