‘Hammergirl’ Has Designs on Nordic Myth

Founded in 1996, the fledgling Gilgamesh Theatre shows an impressively mature grasp of stagecraft in “Hammergirl,” at Glaxa.

Derived from Norse legends, the play is largely the brainchild of Gilgamesh’s co-founder Stephen Legawiec, who not only directs this production but also contributes most of the haunting original music, performed by mandolinist Bob Applebaum, that punctuates the action.

However, “Hammergirl” is very much a collaborative effort, workshopped over the course of several months by Gilgamesh’s ensemble. The story chiefly concerns the travails and adventures of two princess sisters--one fierce, one mild--who must each confront and change her intrinsic nature to deliver their kingdom from an age-old blood feud with a race of giants.

Attempts to render a thumbnail etiology of Norse myth prove dramatically unwieldy at times. Despite turgid moments in the narrative, this epic effort has been luminously realized by Legawiec and a crack design team. Choreographer Alisa Hawkins’ dance sequences are Kabuki-like exercises in form. Robert Velasquez’s costumes range from the austere to the whimsical. Lief Gantvoort’s lighting creates lambency on a budget, while Beckie Kravetz’s remarkable masks set the magical tone for the entire evening. Of the solid cast, Candace Reid is particularly striking as a prophetess called back from the dead to render a grim pronouncement.

*

* “Hammergirl,” Glaxa Studios, 3707 Sunset Blvd., Silver Lake. Thursdays-Sundays, 8 p.m. Ends March 29. $15. (213) 660-8587. Running time: 1 hour, 45 minutes.