Photo Flash: Ben Fankhauser and Elizabeth Ashley Star In I HATE HAMLET at Bucks County Playhouse

Audiences are thoroughly enjoying themselves at Bucks County Playhouse's production of Broadway's hilarious romantic comedy "I Hate Hamlet." The production, which runs through December 1 and was hailed by The New York Times as "Unapologetically silly...hilarious!" is directed by Marc Bruni ("Beautiful: The Carol King Musical").

The comedy is written by Paul Rudnick ("Addams Family Values," "Sister Act" movies and the upcoming Broadway production of "Devil Wears Prada") and was inspired by a true story of his agent having an affair with John Barrymore in Rudnick's Greenwich Village apartment. The 2018 Bucks County Playhouse Season is sponsored by Bank of America.

The Bucks County cast includes Tony award winner Elizabeth Ashley as Lillian Troy, Ben Fankhauser of Disney's "Newsies" as Andrew Rally, Tony nominee Tom Hewitt as John Barrymore, Liz Holtan as Deidre McDavey, Broadway's "Sweet Charity" Janine LaManna as Felicia Dantine, Steve Sanpietro as Gary Peter Lefkowitz.

The creative team for "I Hate Hamlet" includes scenic design by Bucks County Playhouse Artistic Associate Anna Louizos (BCP's "42ndStreet" and currently "School of Rock" on Broadway), costume design by Alejo Vietti (currently "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical" on Broadway), lighting design by David Lander (currently "Torch Song" on Broadway) and sound design by Dan Moses Schreier ("The Ice Man Cometh"). Darcy Bert is Props Master and J. Jared Janas ("Sunset Boulevard") provides the hair and wig design. Peter Wolf is Production Stage Manager and Patrick David Egan is Assistant Stage Manager. Casting is by Geoff Josselson, CSA.

The production will play the following schedule: Tuesdays at 7:30 pm, Wednesdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (no 7:30 p.m. performance on November 14), Thursdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (no performances on November 22), Fridays at 8:00 p.m., Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m., and Sundays at 2:00 pm. There is an additional performance on Friday, November 23 at 2:00 p.m.

Single tickets to "I Hate Hamlet" are on sale now. Ticket prices begin at $40; special rates are available for groups of 10 or more. For complete details, up-to-date pricing and to purchase tickets, please visit buckscountyplayhouse.org, call 215-862-2121, or visit the box office at 70 South Main Street, New Hope, PA.

Bucks County Playhouse is a year-round, nonprofit theatre that has grown to a $6 million producing organization with an annual audience of over 73,000. Founded in 1939 in a converted 1790 gristmill, Bucks County Playhouse quickly became "the most famous summer theatre in America," featuring a roster of American theatrical royalty including Helen Hayes, George S. Kaufman, Moss Hart, Kitty Carlisle, Angela Lansbury, Alan Alda, Tyne Daly, Bernadette Peters, and Liza Minnelli and remained in continuous operation until 2010. In 2012, the Playhouse re-opened after a multi-million-dollar restoration thanks to the efforts of the Bridge Street Foundation, the nonprofit family foundation of Kevin and Sherri Daugherty, and Broadway producer Jed Bernstein. This fall, the Playhouse will unveil a 4,000 square foot Delaware-river facing restaurant and bar expansion.

In 2014, Tony Award-winning producers Alexander Fraser and Robyn Goodman took the helm of the Playhouse, and today the Playhouse has reclaimed its reputation of attracting Broadway and Hollywood artists. Its productions of "Company" starring Justin Guarini, and William Finn's "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee" were named by Wall Street Journal to its "Best of Theatre" list for 2015. The 2017 season included four world premieres and audiences grew by over 34%. Box office record has been repeatedly broken by Signature Productions of "Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story," "Steel Magnolias" directed by Marsha Mason, and "Million Dollar Quartet," "42nd Street," and "Guys & Dolls" directed by Hunter Foster. The creative teams who come to create new productions at the Playhouse are among the most talented artists working in the professional theatre today and relish the opportunity to work on the historic stage where Grace Kelly, Robert Redford, and Jessica Walter began their careers.

Photo Credit: Joan Marcus