Hamlet on Wry

Suspecting trouble, Claudius, the new king of Denmark, summons two courtiers to spy on his stepson, the prince, who has his own suspicion: that Claudius killed the prince’s father and married his widow to gain the throne.

The courtiers--a bumbling pair named Rosencrantz and Guildenstern--are rather less than capable; and the prince, a fellow called Hamlet, eventually extracts his revenge.

Just as the film “Shakespeare in Love” presented an unconventional look at “Romeo and Juliet,” playwright Tom Stoppard’s 1967 “Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead” presents an askew view of the goings-on in “Hamlet.”

No coincidence: Stoppard was hired to punch up the “Shakespeare in Love” script.

Stoppard’s play, currently running at the Arts Council Center in Thousand Oaks, could be seen as what might have happened if Shakespeare had written “Waiting for Godot.”

This is an absurdist comedy, featuring a team reminiscent of Laurel and Hardy (or, in Stoppard’s case, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore) forced to deal with issues they can’t begin to comprehend.

It’s not for everybody--a vague knowledge of Shakespeare’s original “Hamlet” helps, though a synopsis is helpfully furnished. But the right crowd will find Stoppard’s inside jokes and Bard-worthy wordplay awfully funny.

Rob Arbogast and Will Shupe play the titular pair, so dimwitted and virtually interchangeable that a running gag has them unable to remember which of them is whom.

Lee Altmar portrays the leader of the Players, a strolling troupe of actors Hamlet uses to expose Claudius; the other Players--played by Holly Forssell, Karl Mickelson, Pamme Lyons, Ron Rosen, Rob Schneider and Aurick Canete, double as members of the Danish court.

Ami Shupe directed the quickly paced farce with great assurance; and the stage set, which she and husband Will Shupe designed, is certainly the most ambitious ever seen at the tiny Arts Council Center.

It’s outdoors; dress accordingly.

DETAILS

“Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead” continues tonight through Sunday plus Sept. 24 and 25 at the Arts Council Center, 482 Greenmeadow Drive (off Moorpark) in Thousand Oaks. Thursday-Saturday performances begin at 8 p.m.; Sunday’s performance is at 7 p.m. Tickets to all shows are $10; $8, students and seniors. For reservations (recommended) or further information, call 381-2747.

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For a touch of real Shakespeare this week or next, performed by professional actors, you can either be a student at one of several county high schools (Buena, Camarillo, Nordhoff, Pacific and St. Bonaventure among them) or pony up $250.

The cash goes to support the Rubicon Theatre Company’s “Shakespeare in the Schools” program, and those who pay will not only see the special one-hour condensed “Romeo and Juliet” that the students see, but there’s a multi-course dinner, with wine and an auction.

The play is directed by Rubicon co-founder James O’Neil, who has rounded up theatrical friends including Jonathan Farwell to perform.

“My wife and I run our own small theater in Oregon,” Farwell said recently, “and our audience is largely retired--anything I can do to help involve young people, I’ll be happy to do.”

Farwell has worked as a professional actor for many years, largely in regional theater. But he did have a stint in Hollywood where for a year he worked on “The Young and the Restless.”

“I was destined to be murdered from the moment they created the role--I wound up face down in a pool of my own blood,” he said.

He also appeared on other series, including “Star Trek: the Next Generation.” And on Monday he was killed in the first reel of “Where the Truth Lies,” a Lifetime cable network TV movie starring Marlee Matlin.

For 20 years Farwell has made his living in regional theater, playing everything from romantic leads to character roles, “ . . . a range I’d never have been able to do in television or commercial theater,” he said. He has worked under contract to respected groups including Seattle Repertory Theater, the Washington (D.C.) Arena Theater and the Cleveland Playhouse. He plays Juliet’s father in the current production.

“We remain true to the language,” Farwell said. “The text is simply cut. There’s some good swordplay, and I think it should be very exciting for the kids.”

DETAILS

“An Evening in Verona” takes place at 5:30 p.m. today and Sept. 22 and 23 at the Bella Maggiore Inn, 67 S. California St. in Ventura. $250 admission includes a one-hour version of “Romeo and Juliet,” a three-course “Veronese” meal, wine and an auction. Only 60 seats are available each evening. For reservations or further information, call 667-2900 weekdays between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

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Todd Everett can be reached at teverett@concentric.net.