BWW Reviews: I HATE HAMLET (Or Do I?)

The minute you walk into the Omaha Community Playhouse and look at the stage, you know you are in for an unusual experience. I HATE HAMLET, opening April 17, is a wonderful playground somewhere between the Hollywood days of the legendary John Barrymore and today. Directed by Ablan Roblin and Assistant Director Noah Diaz, seasoned actors intertwine the serious with the farcical, the real with the surreal. It's a delicious bit of theater that even those who really do hate Hamlet have to love.

Written by Paul Rudnick, this work of fiction was based on layers of real lives. Rudnick had been living in John Barrymore's former apartment in Greenwich Village when he was inspired to write this play. Barrymore, said to be the greatest Shakespearian actor of his generation, received acclamation for his role as Hamlet and cash for portraying a drunken, washed-up actor on the radio not 20 years later. He vacillated between the stage and the screen. Rudnick effectively separates these polar forces of Barrymore's life into two characters: Barrymore's ghost and film star Andrew Rally. He battles out his inner conflict through verbal assaults and swords.

Omaha Community Playhouse brought in Rick Sordelet (LION KING, BEAUTY AND THE BEAST) as Fight Director for the production, lending verisimilitude to the clashing swordfights between Barrymore and Rally.

Scenic and lighting designer Jim Othuse captures Barrymore's opulent residence much as it has been described. Stucco walls, staiNed Glass windows, heavy beamed ceilings, and Moroccan doorways collide with the modern world orange, pea green, and turquoise furnishings. There is old and new. There is order and chaos. There are cardboard packing boxes newly arrived strewn amongst sheet-covered furnishings that have been standing there for many years. Smoke. Lightning. Flickering fireplaces. The special effects and lighting alter the mood. Sound Designer John Gibilisco contributes crystal clear sound, which is so appreciated in a play that depends heavily on conversation.

Kevin Barratt as legendary and deceased ("I just rose from the dead. How was your morning?") John Barrymore, and Ben Beck as Andrew Rally, the star of a recently canceled television series, explore their differences brilliantly, yet find common ground in their passion for acting. Barrymore is sent to the present for one reason: to convince Rally to play Hamlet. Rally's Los Angeles buddy, Gary Lefkowitz (played by the always funny Dave Wingert), works from an opposing viewpoint. He tries his best to lure Rally back to the entertainment world where there is money to be made...a lot of it. Gary declares that Shakespeare is like "algebra on stage" and pitches a preposterous TV show where superpowers are involved, but they are still "keeping it real." So--to be on stage or to be in television? That is the question. Is it nobler to be on stage where your acting skills are challenged and people are moved by your performance, or is it better to make millions on the screen just by having the "right demographic appeal?"

Kim Jubenville as Lillian Troy, Rally's aging German agent, has her own memories of Barrymore. She sees him for who he was. Literally. She is feisty, she is funny, and she is surprisingly sweet. Suzanne Withem plays the adorable, but naïve, 29-year-old virgin, Deirdre McDavey, who is waiting for everything to be perfect before she gives herself to Rally. Julie Fitzgerald Ryan as Felicia Dantine, Rally's real estate agent and sometimes psychic, adds the final comic touch to this impressive cast.

All of these individual personalities are visually defined by Georgiann Regan's costume design. There is everything from flowing femininity for Deirdre, an animal print for aggressive Felicia, smarmy polyester for Hollywood Gary, and Shakespearian garb for Barrymore. You know the characters already by what they are wearing.

So, why would I HATE HAMLET? There is romance. There is fighting. There is dancing. There are ghostly appearances and smoke. There is witty banter. There is tension and suspense. There is comic relief. And, it is all pulled together by a stellar cast and production crew. I guess the answer is: I love I HATE HAMLET.

Photo Credit: ChristIan Robertson

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