Mod Danes of ‘Hamlet’ a Decidedly Good Idea

Jack Stehlin holds center stage as an angry, athletic prince of Denmark who ably matches wits with Neil Vipond’s kindly, well-meaning Polonius and Steve Irish’s pragmatic, scheming Claudius in a ripping-good, abridged, three-hour interpretation of “Hamlet” at the Odyssey Theatre.

This Circus Theatricals co-production with the Odyssey decks the Danes in modern clothing on J. Gregor Veneklasen’s simple, two-tiered, red-and-black stage. Costume designer Laura Alvarez subtly asserts the polarized examples of filial duty represented by Hamlet’s indecision and Laertes’ impetuousness. Hamlet’s black outfits look streamlined and somber, while the tousled hair and stylish purple-hued suit of Louis Lotorto’s Laertes looks resplendently mod against the ash grays and browns of the other men.

In this tragedy of fathers and sons, the ghost of Hamlet senior, the late king, is portrayed as twinkling red lights that take possession of the younger Hamlet’s body. Stehlin speaks the lines for both Hamlets. The effect is slightly reminiscent of cheap science fiction, but it intensifies the question of Hamlet’s sanity when he confronts his mother, a stately Gertrude (Jill Gascoine).

Fortinbras doesn’t appear at the end to claim the kingdom in this version. The comparison between the stalling Hamlet and the rash Laertes isn’t balanced by this third avenging and finally victorious son.

Vipond’s meddlesome Polonius is the only father who appears, and Vipond imbues him with comically blundering concern for Hamlet and his own offspring, as well as a poignant physical frailty that counterbalances Irish’s commanding Claudius.

Director Casey Biggs sets an earthy tone. Gertrude isn’t a simple-minded, bewildered widow. Regal in red, she paws at her new husband in private. Ophelia (Patricia Ageheim), at first timid before a raging Hamlet’s crudeness, becomes sexually demonstrative once insanity liberates her from societal repression. Nearly naked as her wet shift clings transparently, she clutches at Claudius, like an errant rutting dog. She’s heartbreakingly childlike as the bereaved orphan.

Yet Ageheim’s Ophelia is the weakest performance in this ensemble. In the first half, her manner, bearing and shapeless pale pink dress make her an unlikely future queen--out of place in this otherwise snazzily dressed court.

BE THERE

“Hamlet,” Odyssey Theatre, 2055 S. Sepulveda Blvd., West Los Angeles. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m.; May 7 and 21, 2 p.m. only. Ends May 28. $19.50-$23.50. (310) 477-2055. Running time: 3 hours.