Is he Hamlet to be? Or not to be?
From Sept. 10 to 25, the Domino Theatre will present I Hate Hamlet, written by American playwright Paul Rudnick and directed by Craig Norton, who previously directed the Domino’s production of Miss Bennet: Christmas at Pemberley.
The play follows Andrew Rally (Alex McLarry) as he navigates a transition from television to the stage after accepting the titular role in Shakespeare’s Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park.
Rally, however, hates Hamlet, leading the summoned ghost of stage-and-screen actor John Barrymore (Donald Mitchell) to convince him to play Hamlet just as he once did.
The show runs for approximately two hours and is comprised of two acts. Act one is only one scene and act two is two scenes, giving each actor enough time to shine. The set changes after the second act as Rally hangs Barrymore’s portraits to commemorate him, showing how he’s begun to embrace the role of Hamlet.
The play is primarily a comedy, with a few heart-felt moments within. Norton chose I Hate Hamlet for its comedy, but he found that many of the original jokes were at the expense of the female characters.
“I felt that it could be a really funny show, because the script itself is very funny […] but really wanting to tell that story in a way that’s much more inclusive and not continuing the same old tropes of ‘objectifying women is funny’,” Norton said in an interview with The Journal.
Norton abandoned many of the original stage directions to make the show more acceptable to modern audiences. The jokes still landed, but didn’t stand out as being gratuitously over-sexualized and chauvinistic like Norton believed the original to be.
The skill of the actors was essential in pushing the comedic aspect forward. Mitchell gave a standout performance as Barrymore, perfectly encapsulating the spirit of an early film star devoted to his craft.
“[Barrymore] would probably be my favourite character to cast for,” Norton said. “And as it happens, it was also the one we had the most choice for. Easily the most people came out for that part.”
Although Andrew Rally is a challenging character, Alex McLarry did an excellent job of portraying the parallels between Prince Hamlet and Rally, whose similar internal struggles emphasize the feelings of despising someone because they’re a reflection of yourself.
The three female actors were also a pleasure to watch. Lillian Troy (Lynn Kerr), Deirdre McDavey (Taylor Stevens), and Felicia Dantine (Madeleine Smith), were all essential in Barrymore’s arrival in the apartment. Although their characters mostly served to move the plot along and act as love interests for the male characters, they stole the show, especially during the iconic seance scene.
Shakespeare’s Hamlet has been reimagined countless times since its first performance because audiences still resonate with Hamlet’s tortured mind and self-doubt. I Hate Hamlet reminds audiences why it is important to take challenging risks, leaving the tragedy of Hamlet with hope.
Tags
Domino Theatre, Play, Shakespeare
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