Shakespeare Fans and Skeptics Alike Will Love ‘I Hate Hamlet’ at The Playmasters Playhouse
by Mike McKeon
“Hey! Wanna go see a Shakespeare play?” I never thought I would say yes to that question, but this past Friday I gave it a shot. This show only references Shakespeare and just knowing his name is all the information you need. I had the privilege of seeing The Playmasters Playhouse production of “I Hate Hamlet” Directed by Joe Szumila. If you are not a Shakespeare fan like me, then that is perfect. The entrance to The Playmasters venue is a little obscure, but can be found on “State Road just past Neshaminy State Park sign, across from the Amazon Warehouse.” as per the very helpful directions from the pre-recorded voice message (Thank you to whomever prepared that message) when you call their box office. However, once you locate the building you are welcomed with a large, well lit parking lot. The entrance is small with the box office checking tickets on your left and concessions on your right. Then, straight ahead, is the entrance for seating. I found my way to a seat in the middle of the movie theater style rows. The chairs were comfortable with ample space and had a great view of the stage, no matter where you chose to sit.
I Hate Hamlet was written by Paul Rudnick in 1991. It is a comedy set at the apartment of infamous Hamlet actor John Barrymore. The play follows successful television actor Andrew Rally (Nigel Rogers) as he struggles accepting the dream role of Hamlet. He is counseled by the ghost of John Barrymore (Rick Pine), as he is dealing with a girlfriend who has a firm grip on her chastity and weighing the pros and cons of accepting the role of Hamlet.
The opening scene takes place in the top floor apartment of a brownstone just off Washington Square in New York City. I must give a lot of credit to the Set Construction Crew including Bob Clothier, Rich Hall, Kathy Garofano, McKenna and Sadie Kelly, Joey Klinger, Steve Kreal, Nigel Rogers, Deb Lewis, John Lewis, Colleen Mackle, Jeremy Messner, Joe Szumila, Laura Young, and Stage Manager Kelly Plexico. The set design looked great and was utilized well considering the size of the stage. The props were fun, for example the use of a very dated, over-sized cell phone setting the scene for us in the 90’s. There was also a stage transition during intermission that was completed smoothly and helped make obvious the change in time from Act One. That, combined with the Lights and Sound from Joe Szumila made this show so much more enjoyable. The light and sound design was nothing short of impressive. Each lighting que was well timed and complemented each scene well. The sound was also well balanced with no interference at all during the show. It is also worth noting that the costumes for this production were fantastic. There were some great and fun costume choices. For example, Gary Peter Lefkowitz’s (Stephen Kreal) suit matched the energy required to bring the personality of Lefkowitz to life. And I was astounded to discover these great costumes were provided by the cast themselves.
The front door to the apartment swings open and members of the cast enter helping Andrew Rally (Nigel Rogers) move into his new historic apartment. Lillian Troy (Sally Lomanno) and Andrew’s realtor, Felicia Dantine (Lisa Croce) help move a few boxes. Felicia excitedly reminds Andrew of the rich theater history of his apartment and its previous tenants. This causes Croce to give a great performance of the “Seance” scene. She convincingly begins the seance and hilariously converses with “the other side”. Croce remains a great comic relief throughout the show. Later in this scene we are also introduced to Andrew’s love interest, Deidre McDavey (Sarah Blake). Blake did an amazing job of portraying this character. She was able to maintain the peppy energy needed to be the optimistic support system for Andrew.
Shortly after the seance we are introduced to the infamous John Barrymore (Rick Pine). Pine and Rogers had great chemistry together. The show is filled with witty humor between both of them, and one of my favorite scenes of the show included such. Rogers and Pine have a sword fight at one point during the show and the fight choreography was great. Pine and Rogers dance around the stage in a fencing style sword fight. They manage to navigate around the obstacles of props then up, and again down, the stairs on stage right, without falling and maintaining a great dialogue between them. They were able to make it fun and fast paced which kept the audience engaged and excited. Rick Pine did a fabulous job of playing John Barrymore. He had the classic cocky attitude of a celebrity, but provided advice to Andrew Rally in the way of a mentor who is genuinely, with integrity, trying to guide him in the right direction. Pine also performs a great monologue to Andrew showcasing why he was a great casting choice for this role. The sword fight is eventually interrupted and we are introduced to the enthusiastic personality of Gary Peter Lefkowitz (Stephan Kreal). Kreal transformed into the cocky, pompous producer and maintained the high energy required to play this fast paced character throughout the show. Kreal’s body language and attire forced you to smile each time he entered a scene.
This show was very well cast and very entertaining. I highly recommend stopping by this gem of a Theater and seeing “I Hate Hamlet”. The Playmasters Playhouse provides a quality production value and tickets are still available now. Performances run till December 15th, purchase tickets here: https://playmasters.booktix.com/
