Prince gone mad at a brisk pace

What with the murder of his dad, the instant remarriage of his mum, the suicide of his girlfriend, the play-within-a-play that implicates his homicidal uncle and the various duels, Shakespeare's Prince Hamlet of Denmark endures enough "slings and arrows of outrageous fortune" to easily fill a nearly five-hour drama.

Few stage companies endeavor to perform the whole enchilada, and wisely so. But Wooden O Theatre has left more text than usual on the cutting-room floor with its brisk, engaging and rather overwrought touring edition of "Hamlet," which plays free at local parks the next several weeks.

This can be considered an introduction to "Hamlet," but you do get more than the Cliff's Notes version.

Most of the play's key events are densely packed into two hours and staged on a basic set with lively economy (plus a few deft flourishes) by Mary Machala. In the role of the beleaguered prince, Wooden O artistic director George Mount also cuts to the chase.

Gangly and gaunt-faced, his arms sporting royal tattoos, Mount's Hamlet is quickly unhinged after returning from college to find things in a royal mess at the family castle in Elsinore.

While many productions of the play are enigmatic on the question of Hamlet's sanity, or suggest his off-kilter behavior is a useful charade, Mount leaves little doubt that he's mentally unstable.

Whether feverishly grabbing, kissing, then casting off his sweetheart Ophelia (winsome Tracy Repep), confronting his perplexed mother Gertrude (regal Karen Nelsen) or encountering the overbearing ghost of his father (Nick Rempel), this Hamlet is a nervous wreck.

It is too much too soon. And yet, within its narrow boundaries, Mount brings this twitchy performance off well. He speaks the verse with cogent authority (even when he's shouting it out). And he stays true to this particular conception of Hamlet, as a bright, noble but high-strung kid, pushed over the edge into mania by a murder he must avenge.

As usual with Wooden O, the cast features a number of sturdy Shakespeare hands, including Michael Patten (as a cool, canny Claudius) and Chris Maslen (as a hotheaded Laertes).

Timothy Hornor's brooding cello music adds to the mood, though the mixed-period costuming (Napoleon-meets-grunge) by Carisa Bush makes little sense.

This summer, Wooden O is also touring "As You Like It," a much easier show to condense and perform outdoors. As for the troupe's gutsy go at "Hamlet," first-time viewers should supplement it with a look at the full published text to see what's missing.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com