Four years after Seattle Shakespeare’s indelibly satisfying Hamlet, there’s another notable local production of the play that shouldn’t be missed. The prodigiously pliable Mary Ewald stars as young Hamlet, shedding decades off her impressive odometer with astutely formulated adolescent smoldering. Her face and minimalist gestures are endlessly engrossing, made for the minute nuances of low-action theater like Beckett. (For the duration of 2011’s Happy Days, only her face was visible atop a mound of sand.) Such emotional articulation pays off handsomely in Hamlet’s sleuthing and dithering, making the often muddled shades of his indecision utterly distinct. Under the unambiguous direction of John Kazanjian, the play’s twists and shadows have never been more comprehensible to me.

There are also many gems among the supporting performances. A svelte Peter Crook scrumptiously deadpans Polonius’ insouciant hot air. Tim Gouran’s Laertes self-detonates as only Gouran can. And the various lesser characters played by Brandon Simmons and Scott Ward Abernethy manifest more secret personality than many a principal character in other productions.

Quibbles? Kristen Kosmas seems too mature for Ophelia, Todd Jefferson Moore’s wide-eyed, doddering Claudius too broad. Kazanjian stages the famous bedroom scene between Hamlet and Queen Gertrude (Elizabeth Kenny) with zero Oedipal tension, and the fight choreography is a bit tentative. Still, I found myself riveted by this tiny yet immersive production, where Nina Moser’s set evokes a compact, creepy Elsinore with candlelight and brick. The air smells dank, and the dirt floor offers actors anguished loam-smearing opportunities. A single row of seating puts the cast within a few feet of the audience, revealing Hamlet’s abject inner life as if in high-def close-up. New City Theater, 1404 18th Ave., 271-4430, newcitytheater.org. $15–$20. 7:30 p.m. Thurs.–Sat. Ends Nov. 15.

stage@seattleweekly.com