Alas, poor Hamlet, he’s a laughingstock

Ah, the Troubadour Theatre Company. Those mad clowns whose raison d’etre is to mangle and mash Shakespearean classics into a comic stew, seasoned with iconic pop music and served with a sizable side of ham.

The usual, highly digestible result: laughter aplenty.

The company’s newest blast from the past, “Hamlet, the Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark,” at the Miles Memorial Playhouse in Santa Monica, is no exception, wickedly combining the Bard with the songs of rock-funk artist Prince.

“Let’s Go Crazy,” “I Would Die 4 U,” “When Doves Cry” and “Purple Rain”? A perfect fit, as the company -- led by director Matt Walker’s hilariously bewitched, bothered and bewigged Hamlet -- runs riot, albeit with the deftest of timing.

In the goodie bag: penalty flags for flubbed lines, sight gags galore -- there’s rather more to poor Yorick than usual -- gleeful political incorrectness, laugh-o-meter groaners, a flashback prom scene and funny business with the audience.

Throw in Nadine Ellis’ acrobatic choreography, Nick McCord’s dynamic lighting, the fabulous live band headed by musical director Eric Heinly, and sprinkle with stilt-walking, tumbling and fencing, and yes, even Tiny Tim, the puppet ghost of the Troubie’s Christmas shows past and now a perennial cameo star.

The element of surprise is a big factor in the funny stuff, but a few highlights include Eric Anderson as hulking, er, fragile Ophelia, Mike Teele as the sublimely glam and glittery ghost of Hamlet senior, and Lisa Valenzuela, the “Pre-show Diva” who belts out, “Tonight we’re gonna party like it’s 1599” and provides sly and goofy sound effects throughout.

Outrageous, ribald and not for Hamlet (or Prince) purists, at least the bloody ending is properly melancholy ... for the few seconds it takes the irrepressible cast to skewer it.

*

‘Hamlet, the Artist Formerly Known as Prince of Denmark’

Where: Miles Memorial Playhouse, 1130 Lincoln Blvd., Santa Monica

When: 8 p.m. Thursdays-Saturdays, 4 p.m. Sundays

Ends: Aug. 28

Price: $25

Contact: (310) 979-7196, www.troubie.com

Running time: 2 hours, 15 minutes