1-23-10
Get Thee to the Theatre!
“I Hate Hamlet” at Northern Stage, That Is!
By Chuck and Sue Bingaman
Director Catherine Doherty’s version of Paul Rudnick’s “I Hate Hamlet” provides over-the-top hilarity at Northern Stage in White River Junction through February 7!
If you need an evening of great laughs—and who doesn’t—make plans now to take in this production.
As much as we love amateur theater and promote it whenever possible, this is a deliciously different beast! The pros—all skilled veterans—are in charge here, and it shows in the outrageously drawn characters and voices, crisp timing, and brilliant physical comedy. And they’re backed up by Northern Stage’s behind the scenes pros with extraordinary sets, lighting with just a touch of fog, and wonderful costumes that bolster the characters’ already amazing personas!
Before getting to the play itself, we were tickled with Jillian Louis’s zany, giggly set of pre-curtain announcements about sponsors, turning off cell phones, etc. She came out with this frazzled, ditzy tone that reduced us to jelly before the main event even burst upon us! If anyone else presumes to make the usual announcements at your performance, demand Jillian. And prepare for some foolish fun!
And look forward to many more loopy lines from her as the play unfolds! Including a closing scene clincher that we won’t describe here but guarantee that you’ll chuckle about for days!
Oh! And the play! It’s about a successful but modestly talented TV hunk actor, Andrew Rally (played by Thom Miller), who is offered the chance to play Hamlet in New York’s Central Park but who rightfully doubts his qualifications to do so. He really wants to return to LA for a big-bucks TV series that relies looks he can deliver and little else. But shown a New York apartment that his girl friend falls for, in part because John Barrymore formerly lived there, Rally stays to give Hamlet a shot. His real estate agent, Felicia (played with bombastic, busty abandon by Melissa Teitel) manages to reach the ghost of Barrymore in the great beyond and draw him into the story. After that, things get VERY interesting and even more hilarious. Barrymore, played by Robert Boardman, drives the action throughout, with a larger than life persona. Calling him melodramatic would be an understatement! His physical command SEIZES the entire stage, his arrogance and his extraordinary efforts to destroy the stage furniture give a level of energy and professional presence you’ll not soon forget!
And then there’s Deirdre McDavey, Rally’s girlfriend (played by Jillian Louis with sweet loopiness). Her deathgrip on her chastity is a driving force in the story, and Louis’s comic sense alone is worth the price of admission.
Gary Peter Lufkowitz, Rally’s Hollywood agent played by Richard Waterhouse, manages to embody, no celebrate, much that’s goofy about California and American pop culture and network television in particular! How can someone be so “right on” and over-the-top at the same time?
New York City Costume Designer Sarah Cubbage makes her Northern Stage debut with eye-popping outfits for all six characters. We particularly liked Barrymore’s Elizabethan Hamlet outfit with tights and knee ribbons, velvet Jacobean jacket with fur-lined collars, and puffed sleeves, perfect for the deftly executed sword fighting scene! In contrast, Andrew Rally’s costume mirrored a lesser Hamlet—black, fitted jacket, baggy trousers, and high boots but less refinement reflecting his inability to BE Hamlet.
Northern Stage's set, depicting a top floor apartment in a NYC brownstone just off Washington Square, a former home of legendary actor John Barrymore, is so realistic, so detailed, that you feel like a voyeur looking in on its occupants. The Gothic digs boast a large stone fireplace, heavy metal candlelit chandelier, flickering candle sconces, stained glass window, crenellated stone doorway and heavy wooden beams expertly designed by Kimberly V. Cox, Resident Set Designer for the Ohio Light Opera company. To heighten the mood of drama and ghostly mystery a light haze softens the room, a suit of armor stands guard near the fireplace, fresh flowers spill out of vases, a marble top table and fainting couches complete the scene. We were transported visually by the attractive and creative scene.
All in all, it’s a very fun story played by a top-class cast that is balanced, bright and boisterously bonkers! And it is physically produced with masterful touches. Don’t miss this production!
“I Hate Shakespeare” runs tonight, next Sunday and February 7 at 5:00 p.m. and Tuesdays through Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. through February 6. In addition, there is a matinee January 28 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets are $27-$58 with discounts for seniors and children. Call Northern State at 802-296-7000 or visit www.northernstage.org for tickets.
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