Theater Review : Outrageous Fortune : Rich ‘Hamlet’ Cast Bequeathed Wealth of Exquisite Costumes, Lights, Set

There have been as many Hamlets as there have been actors to play him. Burton’s was as different from Barrymore’s as Barrymore’s from Kean’s. With Andrew Pinon as the Melancholy Dane under Pamela Richarde’s direction at Fullerton College, the play takes on the fiery cloak of melodrama, in the good 19th-Century meaning of the word.

Against the drab-toned stone battlements and colonnades of William D. Meyer’s effective Elsinore, the gentle and fluid shades of Steven Pliska’s exquisite, painterly lighting design makes the perfect background for the rich reds, whites, blacks and deep blues of Mela Hoyt Heydon’s Napoleon-era costumes. At moments, with Richarde’s expert blocking, the scenes look like paintings from the Romantic period, though the whole is given a cinematic feel through Kreg Donahoe’s sound design.

Pinon’s Hamlet is a firebrand with an infectious sense of humor. This is not a psychologically oriented performance; its emotions are simple and basic. If Pinon doesn’t go much below his character’s surface, he still hits all the right notes. His is an amusing Hamlet that can flash out with surprising bravado, and he has a flair for derring-do that fits his interpretation.

In a young company that has great respect for and understanding of the text, and speaks it quite well, Nathan Baesel’s staunch Horatio and Kimberly Jones’ delicate Ophelia stand out. Baesel is one of those actors who accomplishes as much being subtle, amplifying his meaning with intuitively informative physical action, as many do with bombast. It’s a solid performance, as is the girlish Ophelia that Jones introduces as a squeaky-giggly innocent who quickly matures and then slides imperceptibly into nicely underplayed distraction.

Gavin Carlton’s restrained and very funny Polonius and the buoyant and later explosive Laertes of Matthew Damico also stand out. The one imbalance in the staging has T. Joel Fairley, who is quite funny as the Gravedigger, made up as a very elderly Ghost, looking like the grandfather of the brother he was murdered by and assuming that because he is dead his Ghost should be lifeless. Michael Martin is strong as the murderous sibling, as is Lisa Rohr as Hamlet’s mother, widow of that aged specter.

The production features two Hamlets; Sean McNall alternates performances with Pinon. It’s a safe bet that the company will mold itself to McNall’s interpretation of a role that every young actor wants to stamp with his own imprint.

* “Hamlet,” Campus Theatre, Fullerton College Theatre Complex, 321 E. Chapman Ave., Fullerton. Tonight and Thursday through Oct. 22 at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Oct. 23, at 2 p.m. Ends Oct. 23. $5-$8. (714) 871-8101. Running time: 2 hours, 45 minutes. Andrew Pinon: Hamlet

Nathan Baesel: Horatio

Kimberly Jones: Ophelia

Matthew Damico: Laertes

Gavin Carlton: Polonius

Michael Martin: Claudius

Lisa Rohr: Gertrude

T. Joel Fairley: Ghost/Player King/Gravedigger

A Fullerton College Theatre Arts production of Shakespeare’s tragedy, directed by Pamela Richarde. Scenic design: William D. Meyer. Lighting design: Steven Pliska. Costume design: Mela Hoyt Heydon. Sound design: Kreg Donahoe. Choreography: Stacy Gale. Combat choreography: Randy Kovitz. Stage manager: Silissa Ann Smith.