Dec 23, 2009

I Hate Hamlet | Critical Overview

Ever since its opening in April of 1991, theater critics have been uneasy about how to review Paul Rudnick’s I Hate Hamlet. The division of critical opinion stems from the different expectations that different writers hold for a theatrical comedy. While most reviewers agree that the humor in this play works well, many question whether a play should not try to accomplish more than just providing jokes, a function that has been taken from Broadway comedies in recent decades by sitcoms on television.

Reviewing the play’s original New York run, Variety critic Jeremy...