Review: ‘Hamlet’ laughs outweigh shortcomings

By Josh Eiserike

Published: April 24, 2008

Some people can see ghosts, others can't. Those were the rules in M. Night Shyama-lan's "The Sixth Sense," those are the rules in "I Hate Hamlet," running this weekend at Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Campus.

Unlike "The Sixth Sense," the "I Hate Hamlet" ghost story is played for laughs. It's a lot more engaging and much less cumbersome to sit through. Unlike Shyamalan's ghost story, "I Hate Hamlet" lacks a satisfactory payoff.

"I Hate Hamlet," written by Paul Rudnick, takes place entirely in actor Andrew Rally's New York apartment.

He's kind of down on his luck. He moved from Los Angeles to New York, but can't catch a break. His television show is off the air, his girlfriend won't sleep with him and his only success is an embarrassingly saccharine cereal commercial with a puppet. Then, an opportunity: a chance to play Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park.

But Rally (Steven Rice) has second thoughts. He considers himself a hack and doesn't know what possessed him to take one of the most challenging roles in Western theater.

His real estate agent, Felicia Dantine (Marion Dobbins) sells him late actor John Barry-more's old apartment. Barrymore, a drunken womanizer in life, was also one of the famous Hamlets of the stage. Dantine suggests holding a séance to contact the actor's spirit, to help Rally with the role. A few short scenes later Barrymore (Charles St. Charles) appears to help Rally, which may or may not be as a result of the séance. And, only some of the characters can see him.

That's the crux of the action and the highlight of the play. It's fun. There's a few decent laughs, a few cheap shots, a few engaging moments and a few bits where the pace slows to a crawl. That's true of pretty much both the script and the production. The good outweighs the bad, but it's pretty light fare.

Everything with Rally and Barrymore, the heart of the play, is fine and at times truly funny.

"Do you think Hamlet ever slept with Ophelia?" Rally asks, trying to understand his character and voicing his personal frustrations to Barrymore.

"Only in the Chicago company," Barrymore deadpans.

The subplots—Rally's prude, Shakespeare obsessed girlfriend, his sick, aging German agent (who once had a fling with Barrymore) and his money-obsessed, vapid Los Angeles television contact—all fall flat.

Except for Rally and Barrymore, the other characters are stereotypes. Marion Dobbins, a seventh-generation Virginian playing the real estate agent, takes her New Yawk accent to Mike Myers "Coffee Talk With Linda Richman" levels. It's grating, but in a comedy, an over-done caricature is the least of the play's problems.

Here, the big problem is unresolved subplots and lingering questions. The characters are con-cerned about agent Lillian Troy's (Margaret Poethig) health throughout the first act. This never pays off. Troy does something in her last appearance on stage—no, I won't spoil that here—but in context, it would have been the perfect payoff moment. Then there's Rally's 29-year-old virginal girlfriend, Dierdre (Nicole Underwood), who refuses to give it up to her famous television star boyfriend. This is frustrating as well—but for the audience, how this is resolved. It's a bit more ambiguous for Rally, which certainly doesn't help. 

Still, all the action between Barrymore and Rally works. St. Charles, the highlight of the production, really nails the ego and pompousness of his character, believable as he coaches Rally through the motions of becoming Hamlet. "I Hate Hamlet" might have worked better had writer Paul Rudnick kept it to an hour and a half, focused more on the Barrymore-Rally dynamic. As it is, the few good laughs outweigh the lingering questions and faults. 

Staff writer Josh Eiserike can be reached at 703-878-8072 or .

WANT TO GO?

What's up: "I Hate Hamlet"

When: Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. or Sunday at 1:30 p.m.

Where: Colgan Theater, Northern Virginia Community College Manassas Campus, 6901 Sudley Road, Manassas

Parking: Free in Lot E

Contact: Kathryn O'Sullivan at 703-257-6595

Tickets: $5 at the door