Customer Reviews

I Hate Hamlet.

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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

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."

I Hate Hamlet is a great script! Good for actors/actresses of any range to check out, or for anyone to read. All six characters have juicy little moments and the flow of everything is really nice. Just a good script to have around... for more than a few laughs. 5 stars.

The author's introduction is almost as funny as the play itself. Required reading for anyone about to attempt acting Hamlet! (for essential comic relief, if nothing else)

I was disappointed with the play, I Hate Hamlet. The premise is more amsuing than the play turns out to be. I suppose witnessing a performance might be more interesting, but upon reading it, it is mildly amusing at best. Leaving aside the spiritual negatives of actually partaking in a seance and trying to communicate with the dead, the story rather bogs down with some sexual innuendo and some crude humor. There really isn't much of a storyline, and the supposed comedy is microscopic. A play that is somewhat similar, in that a film actor does a play, that I actually prefer and recommend is The Fabulous Imbecilewritten by Michael Legge.

The play was not available from other providers I have used in the past but there were several copies at Amazon. The book was in very good condition but the cost was a bit more that if obtained from the publisher.