‘Haplet’ Arrives, Laden With Puns

“Haplet, Prince of Brooklyn” at the Globe Playhouse stretches so far for laughs you can almost hear its far-fetched concept groan under the strain.

Writer-directors David Davalos and Joe Reynolds, who also appear in the piece (one hesitates to call it a play), rack up some points for sheer wackiness--but the sum total of their stupendously silly enterprise falls short of viable entertainment.

Moments after his modern-dress version of “Hamlet” begins, avant-garde theater director J. Quincy Wagstaff (Davalos), miffed by his cast’s pregnant pauses, storms on stage, stops the show and demands that his actors complete Shakespeare’s tragedy--in 15 minutes or less. Following this micro-”Hamlet,” the cast then zips through a “deconstructed” 15-minute version of “Death of a Salesman.”

But that doesn’t satisfy Wagstaff’s experimental zeal. The cast then performs a “portmanteau” version combining both plays. As we learn, Willie Loman (Adam Menken), didn’t kill himself; he was murdered, and he expects his son Happy/Hamlet (Reynolds) to avenge the deed--even though it “puzzles the Willy.” (Ouch.)

Pun-filled does not necessarily equal fun-filled. The actors careen breathlessly through this oddball burlesque with an abandon that somewhat ameliorates its broadness, if not its inanity. As for their humor, Davalos and Reynolds had better lighten up on the puns already--that is, if they want a more palpable hit.

* “Haplet, Prince of Brooklyn,” Globe Playhouse, 1107 N. Kings Road, West Hollywood. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Ends Aug. 28. $15. (213) 466-1767. Running time: 1 hour, 30 minutes.