BIG, FAT GREEK TRAGEDY UNFOLDS PERFECTLY AT GETTY.

Byline: Evan Henerson Theater Critic

There were vengeful goddesses, a monstrous bull summoned from the sea and -- on opening night, at least -- one honey of a full moon looking down at the proceedings.

With the opening of Euripides' ``Hippolytos,'' the curtain has been drawn on the new Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman Theater at the Getty Villa.

Or at least it would have been. The atmospherically rich outdoor venue in Malibu actually has no curtain. There's no back support in those amphitheater seats either, but we'll talk amenities presently.

``Hippolytos,'' directed by Stephen Sachs, is a period-faithful rendering of a 2,500-year-old play.Overblown and corny though this material sometimes may be, we're looking at the roots of pretty much all drama.

Anne Carson's new translation -- friendly to a contemporary ear -- doesn't chafe against Sachs' mostly traditional production. The venue itself is multifaceted and performance- friendly, sacrificing the occasional bit of audience comfort -- my back is still barking -- to scenic authenticity and beauty.

The entertainment value is right up there as well. Led by a no-holds-barred Linda Purl as That's the way it often goes when characters cross the residents of Mount Olympus.

In this case, it's vengeful Aphrodite (Sarah Ripard) who sets the gears in motion. Jealous of the devotion Hippolytos (Paul Moore) offers to her virgin rival, Artemis (Blake Lindsley), Aphrodite levels our hero with a nasty double whammy. Hippolytos will earn the undesired love of his stepmother, Phaidra, and isolate his father, Theseus (Morlan Higgins), in the process. Oh, and people will die.

The entire action -- first spelled out by Aphrodite in the prologue -- unfolds over about 90 minutes. Several characters along the way make a series of unfortunate choices as a five-member chorus of men (who counsel Hippolytos) and women (who have Phaidra and Theseus' respective ears) stand by to say, ``Hey folks, you might think better of that decision.''

Playing a slightly priggy Hippolytos, Moore rails self-righteously against the evils of lusty women. His unpopular purity (his warriors warn him of the dangers of crossing Aphrodite) is established from the outset, and it's just the sort of thing fated to drive a queen like Phaidra to distraction.

Or to madness. Carried onstage in an invalid's bed, Purl springs reluctantly to life to inform her nurse (Fran Bennett) and her servants that she can't reveal why she's miserable. Soon thereafter, the beans are spilled, and it's a half-comic, half-desperate battle of wills between the queen and the much-put-upon nurse.

Purl wins. Over the course of her single lengthy scene, she bounces among desperation, petulance, tenderness and being barking mad. The lady does everything but rend her garments. Higgins' Theseus, arriving late to the gloomfest, conveys plenty of imperiousness as well as a convincing 11th-hour reconciliation with Moore's Hippolytos.

And what can beat sitting outdoors in the Malibu air watching a bunch of miserable human beings ticking off the gods and paying dearly for it? OK, maybe something comfortable to lean against while taking it in.

Evan Henerson, [phone]

evan.henerson(at)dailynews.com

HIPPOLYTOS - Three and one half stars

Where: Barbara and Lawrence Fleischman

Theater, Getty Villa, 17985 Pacific Coast Highway, Malibu.

When: 8 p.m. Thursday through Saturday; through Sept. 23.

Tickets: $32 to $38. [phone]. www.getty.edu.

In a nutshell: Greek tragedy in a venue fit for the gods.