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The Reviews LOVE 'I Hate Hamlet'
 'John Barrymore' (Mark Kettner),and 'Andrew Rally' (Chris Kurzer) toast Hamlet. |
 Mark Kettner as John Barrymore with Chis Kurzer as Andrew Rally |
 Barrymore and Rally |
 Rally with Tony Aiello as Gary Peter Lefkowitz, Andrew’s "mover-shaker" director friend |
 Barymore, Rally and Lefkowitz |
 Sherry Tessler as Lillian Troy, Andrew’s "scum of the earth" agent with Barrymore |
 Barbara Tipton as psychic real estate agent, Felicia Dantine with Rally |
 Rally takes girlfriend Dierdre McDavey played by Bree Pavey for a dip, as Barrymore encourages him |
 Dantine conducts a seance with Rally, McDavey, and Troy |
As appeared in area newspapers:
TownSquare Players proudly presents I Hate Hamlet weekends November 7-23, 2003 at the Woodstock Opera House. The comedy revolves around an out of work young television actor who is offered the opportunity to play Hamlet onstage; but he hates Hamlet. He is visited by the ghost of John Barrymore whose Hamlet was considered the greatest of all time. Their confrontation leads to a wildly funny duel scene choreographed by Leland Burbank.
Mr. Burbank has appeared as the Black and White Knight at Medieval Times in Schaumburg, IL for the past 11 years. He is a member of the Society of American Fight Directors and is an instructor of staged combat for IHS Theatre Festival, Medieval Times and high schools and colleges throughout Illinois. He also holds classes at Dream Makers Studio in Woodstock and teaches equestrian riding.
See Leland working with actors, Chris Kurzer and Mark Kettner.
 'Rally' with 'Dierdre' (Bree Pavey) |
 'Felicia Dantine' (Barbara Tipton) and 'Peter Lefkowitz' (Tony Aiello) |
 'Barrymore' and 'Lillian Troy' (Sherry Tessler) |
TownSquare Players Inc.
Woodstock Opera House
Woodstock, IL (815) 338-5200
November 7 through November 23, 2003
Andrew Rally has a problem. This former television series star has committed to play the greatest stage role ever written "Hamlet" in a Shakespeare-in-the-Park production in New York City. His agent, Lillian Troy is pushing him towards doing it, his director friend Gary Peter Lefkowitz is pulling him away from doing it with a lucrative TV pilot deal. His real estate agent/seer is looking to make a quick commission by renting him John Barrymore’s former apartment and, oh, by the way, contact the ghost of John Barrymore to act as tutor to the out-of-work TV actor. And last but not least, his girlfriend Dierdra won’t consummate their relationship because she wants to save herself for her true and real love. That about covers it.
What it doesn’t cover is the fabulous job this ensemble cast of six does in bringing this far-fetched play to life. Chris Kurzer brings to the role of Andrew a series of dualities: self-doubt and self-confidence, dreamer and realist. He is an insider in Television and an outsider in the legitimate theater. Kurzer’s best scenes are when he and Barrymore (Mark Kettner) are on stage alone together. The final scene of the play is one of those moments. They have a connection that is believable even though the situation is absurd.
Kettner’s Barrymore is outstanding. Shakespeare’s language (trippingly) rolls off of his tongue as easily as do his hilariously droll one-liners. Kettner and Kurzer execute some of the most believable stage combat I have ever seen. It is well staged and funny to boot. Fight Director Leland Burbank is to be congratulated.
Bree Pavey brings to life the dreamily romantic Dierdra, the object of Andrew’s affection. Much of the humor in this show is subtle and Shakespeare-esque and Pavey delivers it beautifully. Her characterization is just the right combination of ditz and sanity.
Sherry Tessler has perhaps the most difficult role to play as agent Lillian Troy. Her character is the understated anchor in a sea of glitz, glamour and greed. Tessler and Kettner have a very touching scene at the end of Scene one in Act two where they recreate a tête-à-tête that swept them off of their collective feet so many years ago. She pulls off a very convincing German accent that gives her character just the right touch of reality. It made me want to know more about her.
Barbara Tipton (Felicia Dantine) does a fine job as the real estate agent with the Brooklyn accent and the deceased mother from the other side that she contacts regularly. Tipton does a great job with a séance bit and offers many other comic high points.
Last, but certainly not least, is Tony Aiello (Gary Peter Lefkowitz). Aiello is as over-the-top as Sherry Tessler is understated. His Gary is a self-centered, self-aggrandizing, dripping with smarm, Hollywood mogul who energizes the stage and steals scenes every second he is on.
Tish Lyon’s costumes are excellent and Michael May’s lighting design is superb. This is a very funny show that in less capable hands could fall flat. TSP’s production certainly did not disappoint me. I loved this ‘Hamlet’.
Silvers’ Rating for "I Hate Hamlet": 4 Silvers’ Stars
4 Silvers’ Stars = Don’t Miss
3 Silvers’ Stars = Recommended
2 Silver’s Stars = go if there’s nothing good on TV
1 Silver’s Star = go if your kids are in it
0 Silvers’ Stars = skip it even though your kids are in it
The play begins and ends in a New York apartment once inhabited by the late great John Barrymore. Attractive but uncultured real estate agent and amateur psychic Felicia Dantine, played to perfection by Barbara Tipton, tries to convince Rally to rent the dreary apartment. Dantine enlists the help of Rally’s hopelessly romantic and too, too frenetic girlfriend, Deirdre McDavey, ably portrayed by Bree Pavey, who cajoles Rally into telling her that Joseph Papp wants him to play Hamlet. Rally’s sensible yet soft-hearted agent Lillian Troy, played with understated flair by Sherry Tessler, is also enlisted. Attempting to seal the deal, Dantine obtains their help in summoning Barrymore’s ghost in an attempt to allay Rally’s fears of taking on the role of Hamlet. All three women, especially Tessler and Tipton, have wonderful comedic timing and garner their share of laughs.
The TownSquare Players, especially Director Dre Robinson, are to be commended for overcoming the obvious difficulties in producing, directing and acting in a play largely reliant on coincidence and stereotypes. For instance, Troy, reminiscent of Marlena Dietrich and exhibiting European sophistication, comes into the apartment and introduces herself to Dantine saying, "I am Andy’s agent, the scum of the earth." The audience is already laughing in anticipation of the rejoinder they know Dantine is going to level back at Troy — “Real estate, I win.” Troy then soon recalls having been in the apartment years earlier, coincidence No. 3. But with the laughs coming one after the other, who’s counting? The too sweet, goody-two-shoes McDavey wants to be sure, very sure, that Andy is Mr. Right before surrendering her maidenhead, and she fuels one of the play’s romantic subplots.
However, the entire premise and evening’s entertainment relies heavily on the two Hamlets’ performances and their relationship with one another. The masterful Mark Kettner as the raffish John Barrymore, the quintessential Hamlet of his day, and matinee-idol handsome Chris Kurzer as an insecure Andrew Rally, whose soap has been cancelled, exhibit a marvelous chemistry onstage. And despite their obvious and intended difference in age, they manage to avoid developing a father/son kind of sentimentality. Although Barrymore is a ghost, he carries the most weight and does so effortlessly thanks to Kettner’s intelligent and nuanced performance. The confused and frustrated Rally proves a perfect foil for Barrymore, his worldly and confident mentor. The repartee during Rally’s demonstration of the Gafney technique, "Act to Win," is most amusing, and the much-publicized sword fight does not disappoint.
Not to be overlooked is writer-producer-director Gary Peter Lefkowitz, portrayed by the fast-talking, charismatic Tony Aiello, who commands everyone’s attention whenever he’s onstage. He delivers the play’s most memorable line, “Shakespeare is algebra on stage.”
Despite some opening night miscues involving sound and special effects, which the unflappable cast either ignored or covered up through improvisation, the lighting and ambitious set design add further interest and believability to the play’s actions and characters. The dramatic restoration of John Barrymore’s apartment between Acts I and II had the opening night audience gasping. Being a contemporary play, costuming may seem less difficult. However, Tish Lyon did a marvelous job dressing the actors as both characters and individuals, emphasizing their stage personas and physical attributes to great advantage.
See the play, and you may find yourself saying "I love ‘I Hate Hamlet.’" The play runs at 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, Nov. 14, 15, and 21, 22, and at 3 p.m., Sundays, Nov. 16 and 23, at the Woodstock Opera House. Tickets are $21 for adults, $19 for students and senior citizens for A seating; $20 and $18 for B seating. Call 338-5300.
There are plenty of reasons to hate 'Hamlet.'
It’s intimidating. Long. Full of dizzying soliloquies. Symbolism. Philosophical ponderings. Odd words where there could be everyday ones.
So, it’s easy to understand the hesitance of Andrew Ralley (Christopher Kurzer), the lead in TownSquare Player’s new comedy, "I The Hamlet."
Andrew is a Los Angeles non-actor who’s trying-reluctantly-to rediscover his theater roots in a summer production of 'Hamlet' in Central Park. He happens to rent John Barrymore’s former upper floor apartment, where a few women in his like try to convince his to siphon some of Barrymore’s famous portrayal of Hamlet through a séance.
For whatever reason, Barrymore does show up and won’t go away again until Andrew plays Hamlet. Along for the ride to what we can only hope is not the performance of Andrew’s lifetime are his girlfriend, Dierdre McDavey (Bree Pavey), real-estate agent, Felicia Dantine (Barbara Tipton), New Your talent agent Lillian Troy (Sherry Tessler) and skuzzy L.A. agent Gary Peter Lefkowitz (Tony Aiello).
Andrew has plenty of issues beyond preparing for this play. The one that seems to bother him the most is his exceedingly chaste relationship with Dierdre, a 28-year-old virgin.
"I Hate Hamlet" is built around a sharp-tongued script that lends itself to well-timed one-liners, particularly in the parts of Barrymore (Mark Kettner) and Lillian.
Kettner is the undeniable standout in this cast. Of course, the part of John Barrymore lends itself to a certain stardom, but Kettner plays the role as dry as the champagne his character imbibes through most of the show. He has Barrymore’s facial profile, as well, with a defined chin and nose, so he’s physically consistent with his character.
The sexual tension between Andrew and Dierdre which ought to be exploited to hilarity is lost. Its most intense moments happen when Dierdre frustratingly flexes her ankle and foot while she kisses Andrew.
More weakness lies in the actors’ attempts at regional vernacular. A bad accent can be distracting. The audience will understand if the characters are not speaking with a nasal Long Island or a phlegmy German.
Felicia’s outer-boroughs (or is it Joysey?) accent just don’t match who she is - a real estate agent who’s selling a place that used to be John Barrymore’s to a famous television actor from Los Angels.
Kurzer is not quite convincing as Andrew, an actor truly conflicted by his profession’s temptations to art and money. Kurzer’s Andrew expends a lot of energy resisting Hamlet and Barrymore and has virtually nowhere to go after his opening-night performance flops.
Andrew is whipped into a frenzy by the end of the first act, and then has to climb back up to those heights quite quickly in the second act.
The overall performance plays as a see-saw; an up-and-down motion, rather the a mind changing revolution around a broken down perception.
"I Hate Hamlet" benefits from fine production quality, acceptable performances punctuated with one really fine performance, and a warm, sincere ending.
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