The Standard Bearer

"English actors have their own, very strange superstitions, our very own Voodoo, and Macbeth lies at the centre of these." This statement by the title character, as much as anything, provides the grist for Stephan Wyatt's solo play. Although the play hardly goes anywhere new, it permits actor Neil Dickson to holds the audience's attention, and respect, for the duration.

Set in West Africa, circa 1980, Wyatt's premise is as simple as it is specific. A theatrical ham bone of no small moxie, sent out on the road by the cultural affairs bigwigs, attempts to elucidate Shakespeare for various local communities. In the course of his extended monologue, our old trouper haggles with the stage manager, frets over his no-show onstage partner (and offstage spouse), and takes increasingly long pulls from a bottle of "water." In between, a flurry of choice bits of the Bard—from Henry V to the Scottish thane—crop up, gradually playing out in counterpoint to the actor's inadvertent, ever-more-sodden confessional.

That is the sum of the show, which director Julian Sands, no slouch at solo performance, stages with minimal fuss—a giant Union Jack and bamboo wall hangings constitute the décor—and maximum attention to phrasing and transitions. He is extremely fortunate in his star: Dickson, an adept physical actor with a daunting vocal range, compels involvement from first glad-handing entrance to last, pathos-ridden zinger. His mood shifts and seriocomic timing are impressive, the gradations of inebriation especially convincing, the mastery of Shakespearean technique complete; imagine the late Jeremy Brett channeled through middle-period Derek Jacobi, and you start to get the idea.

Wyatt's writing is intelligent, funny, and well-judged, although some slaps at governmental bureaucracy and colonialism are more effective than other ones. At base, this is as much a short story in dramatic guise as a fully realized play, and mainly Dickson's ability and Sands' taste elevate it beyond the showcase contours it continually betrays. Yet there are far worse ways to spend an hour or so than in the company of "The Standard Bearer," which brings out the best in its performer, even as the character he plays tries to avoid the worst.

Presented by and at the Stephanie Feury Studio Theatre, 5636 Melrose Ave., L.A. Oct. 19-Nov. 12. Wed. & Fri.-Sat., 8 p.m. (818) 424-0282. www.plays411.com/standardbearer.