Despite its title, if you are someone who dislikes Shakespeare (and, by the way, shame on you), you most likely still won’t enjoy the new production of Paul Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet. In fact, you sort of have to love the play to appreciate its storyline. The set-up is simple, an actor who hates Hamlet (because it’s an impossible part to live up to) finds himself playing the role. To make matters worse, he’s not doing a very good job. Add to that some personal crises, and you have the smorgasbord of suffering we expect from comic protagonists. The solution comes when the actor is haunted by the ghost of John Barrymore. I’m sure you can probably guess how it ends.

The inclusion of Barrymore is a novel twist, because there are tons of twentieth-century actors who have put their imprint upon the role of the melancholy Dane. When you think about it, who hasn’t tried their hand at the part? Therein is the inside joke of I Hate Hamlet: in a way, its protagonist is right. The role, even more than the play itself, is like some hideous family heirloom: nobody wants it, but you can’t avoid it. More than that, there is the sense of proving yourself in the attempt, regardless of the outcome. It’s sort of a theatrical form of hazing: sometimes misguided, sometimes, dangerous, sometimes disastrous, but in the end it brings out a sense of pride in you for having done it.

Posted Sat, 05 Jul 2008 01:41:39 and filed under Actors, Comedy, Acting, Hamlet, Theatre. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.