Effective Female Ensemble in ‘Hamlet’

If you haven’t seen a production by the Los Angeles Women’s Shakespeare Company, you might dismiss the group’s all-female ensemble as a counterculture conceit, a gimmick that could wear thin over the course of time. Never fear. The group’s present production of “Hamlet” at Gascon Center Theatre proves anew how viscerally effective women can be in the great Shakespearean roles.

A case in point is Lisa Wolpe’s Hamlet. (Wolpe alternates in the role with Natsuko Ohama, who also co-directed the production with her.) Intense and boyish, Wolpe mitigates the Dane’s melancholy with a highly developed sense of irony that persists until the last dying gasp. It’s a compelling, convincingly sexy performance, whatever your gender.

The directors show a finely tuned appreciation for Shakespeare’s words and an unusual respect for the modern-day audience’s attention span. However, the action does occasionally get stuck in low gear, and the composition sometimes seems more painterly than dramatic.

From the title role to the sword-carrying functionaries, the acting is accomplished throughout. Jeanne Reith’s eclectic modern costumesare handsomely casual, and Marsha Ginsberg’s “deconstructionist” set is as functional as it is stark.

On the other hand, Marianne Schneller’s lighting tends to cast the actors’ faces into shadow, and Nazhat S. Hester’s costumes for Gertrude are almost spectacularly obtrusive, a sumptuous parade of excess that leaves us wondering just what Grace of Monaco outfit Gert will appear in next.

* “Hamlet,” Gascon Center Theatre (in the Helms Bakery complex), 8735 Washington Blvd., Culver City. Wednesdays-Saturdays, 8 p.m.; Sundays, 7 p.m. Ends May 28. $15. (213) 466-1767. Running time: 3 hours, 15 minutes.