“Fortinbras” begins where “Hamlet” ends, with Prince Fortinbras named ruler of Denmark by the dying Hamlet.

A minor character, Fortinbras is often deleted from lesser adaptations of William Shakespeare’s tragedy.

In playwright Lee Blessing’s hands the inconsequential Fortinbras (Jon Zuber) metamorphoses into a king, regal certainly, but lacking in, let us say, popular backing, and searching for justification to his fibs.

In this contemporary spinoff, Fortinbras organizes a skillful media blitz to convince the public of the legitimacy of his reign. To oversee the storytelling, he enlists Horatio (Paul Canter) as a public relations man extraordinaire.

Horatio, you may recall, swore to the dying Hamlet (Stephen Terrill) to tell the truth about the kingdom’s final hours. If you rely on press secretaries or public relations minions to obtain impartial news, you might want to reconsider. Horatio’s job is not so much to expose the truth as it is to convince us it IS the truth.

“The way things are presented to people becomes the truth,” said Canter. “If you bury the truth, what is left becomes the truth.”

In his quest for authority, Fortinbras decides war would legitimize him as a ruler. Poland falls prey to his craven desire, but the invasion is not successful as imagined, and an insecure Fortinbras becomes host to a coterie of ghosts. The past, disturbed by the turn of events, comes back to tackle the present.

Things are not going well, and Horatio’s mastery of the media falters. Blessing uses humor to tie together the play’s political, cultural and metaphysical aspects.

“Fortinbras” premiered in 1991 at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego. If the play resonated then, audiences now will not fail to latch on to parallels with our current political maneuverings.

“Blessings’ plays always have a well-defined political edge,” said director Katie Laris, “but at the same time seek to examine the commonalities of human existence.” The playwright also penned “Walk in the Woods,” “Patient A,” “Nice People Dancing to Good Country Music,” “Two Rooms,” and “Independence.”

Laris directed last season’s successful “Baby with the Bathwater,” staged wholly with City College students. The cast of “Fortinbras” draws both from theater students and professional actors.

In spite of association with the English language’s most famous play, “Fortinbras” requires neither an ear for old English, nor familiarity with Shakespearian text.

“This play really does have something for everyone,” said Laris. “Sexual intrigue with otherworldly characters, physical comedy, highly topical satire, a dynamic sword fight, and lots of speculation about the use and misuse of power.”

When Fortinbras declares “I am here to defend Denmark from an imminent attack by Poland,” the modern mind quickly substitutes countries, and the complexities assume a new dimension.

“I see the character in absurdist political terms,” said Zuber.

Fortinbras is a man of action, unencumbered by profound thoughts. His expedient explanations carry the day only for so long, and external battles with an incredulous entourage introduce doubt in his own tepid mind.

“I see a lot of Fortinbras in our current political structure,” said Zuber. “A lot of action, but quick to blame somebody else, the bad intelligence.”

In the middle of the fray is Hamlet, the unifying character, trapped in the eternal struggle for truth.

“When he sees someone not very educated, taking over a foreign land,” said Terrill, “it is Hamlet’s job to convince Fortinbras to respect the truth.”