The Crypt, Dublin Castle

There is a theory of play rehearsal in which there are three phases. They are the schizoid, in which the actors allow everything to pour out; the manic, in which they put form on the show; and the depressive, in which they reflect on and evaluate what they have done.

It replaces the actor-director convention with intuitive group creation. Fairly curdles the blood, doesn't it?

But it seems to work for the Praxis Theatre Laboratory, an experimental and small-scale touring company based in Frenchpark, Co Roscommon. The evidence is at Dublin Castle's tiny Crypt, where they are offering a Hamlet scaled down to some, or the fighting of the duel with imaginary swords, which works thrillingly. But mostly this is the familiar Hamlet, pared down and speeded up.

A reviewer who gets carried away by new faces on the evidence of a single production gives hostages to fortune, but two performances here tempt me to indiscretion. William Rowsey, who trained at the Moscow Arts School, is a brilliant Hamlet who gets right inside the tragic, mercurial prince and his brooding meditations. And Aidan Redmond, out of the Samuel Beckett Centre, is a magnetic and authoritative Claudius, a dominant figure.

The other five actors - Maria Straw, Carol Brophy, Sean Duggan, Olivier Schneider and Sam Dowling - are uniformly excellent and tuned to their roles. So would I prefer to see a full Hamlet with all the great words and stage trimmings? Of course. Was I entertained and moved by the Praxis company and their version? Absolutely. Go check it out.

Runs until June 9th; bookings on 01-6713387