I Hate Hamlet. [Paperback]

Paul Rudnick (Author), Paul Rudnick (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 72 pages
• Publisher: Dramatists Play Service, Inc.; Acting Edition edition (January 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0822205467
• ISBN-13: 978-0822205463
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 5.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #242,214 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #70 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Literature & Fiction > World Literature > United States > History & Criticism

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars To Be or Not To Be., January 20, 2004

By 

tvtv3 "tvtv3" (Sorento, IL United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Hate Hamlet. (Paperback)

This charming little comedy tells the tale of a famous Hollywood television star, Andrew Rally, who has recently purchased an apartment in New York where John Barrymore used to live. Andrew has just come off a highly lucrative and successful television series and is coming to New York perform in Hamlet to beef up his resume and respect in the acting community. The only problem is that he hates Hamlet. Well, the ghost of Barrymore still haunts his old apartment and is compelled to show Andrew the error of his ways. The play is entertaining and is a great joy to watch, especially for anyone who has ever been involved in theatre or show business. My favorite character is Gary, the producer friend from California: it's a great secondary role. A good show that works especially well for small, established community theatres.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Amusing and Flyweight Farce, May 18, 2008

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Gary F. Taylor "GFT" (Biloxi, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Hate Hamlet. (Paperback)

Although he best known on the professional stage for JEFFREY, a wry and slightly bitter comedy on the subject of homosexuality and HIV, Paul Rudnick is best known on the non-professional stage for I HATE HAMLET, an amusing farce that tears a page from Noel Coward's legendary BLITHE SPIRIT.

A television actor whose series has just been canceled, Andrew Rally is in New York to perform the title role of Hamlet--a role he doesn't want in a play he doesn't like. A flaky real estate agent who claims to have psychic powers talks him into renting the former apartment of long-dead John Barrymore, one of the most acclaimed Hamlets of his generation; needless to say, an impromptu seance seems to vent forth the ghost of Barrymore himself, who comes to make sure that Andrew does the role, like it or not.

There is, of course, a little bit more to it than that, and the plot also concerns Andrew's eccentric (and chain smoking) agent; his determinedly virginal girl friend; and an ultra-California producer type who wants to see Andrew take the easy television and run instead of striving for 'art' in New York. Add in swordplay, Barrymore's infamous lechery, and a host of complications and the result is a charming bit of flyweight fluff that moves a long at rapid clip.

Like many plays of the genre, I HATE HAMLET tends to deal in obvious stereotypes and time-honored constructions; it is no less amusing for that, and if you know something about Shakespeare, HAMLET, and Barrymore you'll find it all the more entertaining. Recommended.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A celebration of theater, echoes of Barrymore..., May 13, 1999

By 

S. Meigs "S. Meigs" (Mountains) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: I Hate Hamlet. (Paperback)

This is a witty, rakish, stylish tribute to all actors in general, and Barrymore in particular. It's a wonderful play for a local theater group (I say that from experience). If you're an aspiring playwright, this is one you'll wish you had written. Rudnick's "Notes on Production" are very informative.

Be ready for a challenge, actors: "Dying is easy. Comedy is hard."