Gender-bending Shakespeareans by F. Kathleen Foley for The Los Angeles Times Anyone who has ever cozied up to a classic comic book will find obvious virtues in "Macbeth3," playing in the Complex's Ruby Theatre. Lisa Wolpe's boldly truncated adaptation of Shakespeare's tragedy runs just about one hour -- a sort of graphic novel-esque synthesis that gallops along at a breathless pace. And though we do miss certain of the play's jettisoned elements (for instance, Birnam Wood never does make it to Dunsinane), it still has plenty of epic sweep. In this gender-bending co-production from the Dogsbody and L.A. Women's Shakespeare Company, the cast has also been pared to the bare bones -- just three actors in all. But Wolpe's vigorous staging remains surprisingly full-bodied. Mia Torres' scenic design, a burned-out modern battlefield, strewn with oil drums and abandoned tires, glimmers with the red hues of Maura McGuinness' pointedly bloody lighting design. The setting echoes with Edwin Roxburgh's eerie musical compositions and Rachel Myles' cacophonous sound design, disorienting sounds that further contribute to the general hellishness. But the program gives our only clue that the actual setting is a futuristic Baghdad -- a half-baked conceit never fully integrated into the action. In a thoughtful performance, Kate Roxburgh lends stature and masculine gravity to Macbeth, and Gavin McClure invests Lady Macbeth with feminine grace and guile. Lisa Tharps, standing in for regular cast member Wolpe at the reviewed performance, plays most of the other characters, including Duncan and Banquo, with an air of doomed dignity that is memorable. However, Lady Macbeth's lofty high-heeled boots, which emphasize the height difference between the petite Roxburgh and the towering McClure, stand out like a sore thumb in an otherwise well-considered production. -- F. Kathleen Foley