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Our 1994-1995 Season: Mainstage

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I Hate Hamlet

Written by Paul Runick

Andrew Rally seems to have it all: celebrity and acclaim from his starring role in a hit television series; a rich, beautiful girlfriend; a glamorous, devoted agent; the perfect New York apartment; and the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park. There are, however, a couple of glitches in paradise. Andrew's series has been canceled; his girlfriend is clinging to her virginity with unyielding conviction; and he has no desire to play Hamlet. When Andrew's agent visits him, she reminisces about her brief romance with John Barrymore many years ago, in Andrew's apartment. This prompts a seance to summon his ghost. From the moment Barrymore returns, dressed in high Shakespearean garb, Andrew's life is no longer his own. Barrymore, fortified by champagne and ego, presses Andrew to accept the part and fulfill his actor's destiny. The action becomes more hilarious with the entrance of Andrew's deal-making friend from LA, spouting the laid-back hype of the Coast and offering Andrew a fabulous new TV deal worth millions of dollars. The laughs are nonstop as Andrew wrestles with his conscience, Barrymore, his sword, and the fact that he fails as Hamlet in Central Park.

A young and successful television actor relocates to New York, where he rents a marvelous, gothic apartment. With his television career in limbo, the actor is offered the opportunity to play Hamlet onstage, but there's one problem: He hates Hamlet. His dilemma deepens with the entrance of John Barrymore's ghost, who arrives intoxicated and in full costume to the apartment that once was his. The contrast between the two actors, the towering, dissipated Barrymore whose Hamlet was the greatest of his time, and Andrew Rally, hot young television star, leads to a wildly funny duel over women, art, success, duty, television, and yes, the apartment.

Cast

Gary Peter LefkowitzArt Deutsch
John BarrymoreJack Fisher
Deidre McDaveyJean-Marie Garver
Felicia DantineHannah Hendry
Andrew RallyWill Lampe
Lillian TroyDiane Schultz

Production Staff

DirectorJay Mills
ProducerAnn Marie Hattersley
Claire Siegmund
Stage ManagerBrian Marshall
Set DesignSal Ruggiero
Set ConstructionRoger Clark
Set Construction-CrewBJ Brennan
Marty Kleindienst
Chick Lauria
Bill Massa
Joe Rajsteter
Flip Robinson
Steve Zevas
Stage CrewDaran Golby
Roger Manning
Set DecorKay Boucher
Lillian Miller
Set Decor-CrewMarge Gaffney
Lynda Mines
Sal Ruggiero
Chuck Siegmund
Scenic ArtistEd Nicolazzo
Lighting DesignBeth Eden
Lighting Board OperationBill Massa
Robin Totillo
Lighting-CrewGil Collins
Brian Marshall
Bill Massa
Anthony McEvoy
Barbara Menger
Todd Mills
Goran Pocina
Spotlight OperatorChuck Siegmund
Sound DesignGlenn Beasley
PropsCamille Chayka
Carolyn Murray
CostumesCeCe Dwyer
Make-Up / HairJoan Agosta
Assistant to ProducerMarge Gaffney
Program CoverOny Ryzuk
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