THEATER REVIEWS : Two Visions of the Universality of Shakespeare : Gender-Bending With ‘Henry V’

Go west for gender-bending Shakespeare. In Culver City, a new group, FreightTrain Shakespeare, is staging an adventurous “Henry V” in which several men’s roles are played by women--and a man and a woman play, respectively, the erstwhile Mistress Quickly and her husband, Pistol. Not too far away, L.A. Women’s Shakespeare Co. is presenting an all-female “Othello.”

In “Henry V,” FreightTrain’s purpose isn’t so much pro-feminist as pro-imagination. Director Tom Quaintance, a former assistant of La Jolla Playhouse’s Des McAnuff, plants his actors--in nondescript contemporary clothes--inside the audience, before they rise to go onstage. His point (also discussed in program notes) is that the action takes place primarily in the audience’s imagination.

Shakespeare himself made the same point when he gave the Chorus (Erick Avari) a number of lines that emphasize that this is just a play, not a real invasion of France. We take the cross-gender casting in the same spirit.

Stripped of its realistic detail, the play presumably becomes more of a meditation on universal themes and less of a historical pageant. Of course this also is the least expensive route for a brand-new company. But in this case economies of budget coincide happily with the interpretive spin.

This approach is also well-timed. A “Henry V” that’s distanced from its historical period is an ideal choice for the 50th anniversary of our own century’s most famous invasion of France.

Not that this “Henry” is set in 1944 any more than in the original’s 1415. As Henry, Joseph Haj resembles a pirate, not Dwight Eisenhower. He wears a scarf around his head, and his undershirt conceals only half of a tattoo. Especially in the opening scenes, assisted by John D. Palmer’s moody lighting, Haj’s eyes beam out of haunted pools of darkness. His body is lean and wiry, his voice skittishly intense rather than deeply resonant.

This Henry could lead men to victory, but he can be cold and ruthless too--which is precisely Quaintance’s intent, judging from his program notes. Still, Haj is audibly relieved when he’s spared the ordeal of carrying out his most harrowing threat. He’s no monster.

Quaintance has deleted enough lines to make for a lean, sinewy “Henry,” with no intermission. That still might seem like a long sit, but Quaintance keeps the action swift and stirring, aided by Michael Cowell’s percussive music.

Most of the 15 actors play two or three roles; among the outstanding creations are Maria Spassoff’s Pistol/Alice, Weston Blakesley’s Hostess/French King/Fluellen and Ellen Idelson’s Boy. A long staircase at the back dominates Katherine Ferwerda’s otherwise bare-bones set.

* “Henry V,” Gascon Center Theatre, 8735 Washington Blvd., Culver City. June 15-17, 25, July 2, 8 p.m.; June 26, July 3, 7 p.m. (in repertory with “Pericles,” which opens Friday). $10-$12. (818) 955-5363. Running time: 2 hours, 5 minutes.