Successful TV actor Andrew Rally has a choice to make – play the role of Hamlet onstage, which would challenge his creative experience and greatly please his girlfriend; or go back to lucrative, silly but popular TV soap operas.
Andrew would much sooner take the soaps but the ghost of Hamlet’s great portrayer John Barrymore has other plans.
Set in Barrymore’s old apartment in New York City the audience will witness the great Shakespearean actor’s paranormal intervention in Andrew’s decision in the Guild Theatre’s latest production I Hate Hamlet.
I Hate Hamlet explores the serious theme of stepping out of one’s comfort zones in the backdrop of show business through its main protagonists.
Humour ensues with the wonderful mix of two dimensional characters that serve to reflect just why it is so easy to stay within one’s boundaries.
Add to the plot the frustrations and romances amongst these characters and it serves as wonderful escape for actors and theatre-goers alike.
Director Rachel Cliffe has chosen this play because it is about actors for actors, about choices, challenges and Shakespeare’s Hamlet.
She is one for comedy with a difference and this play is full of fun and theatrical exploration.
Greg Kenyon will be playing Barrymore’s ghost straight after playing in The Little Foxes.
George Gleeson will play Andrew Rally the former Hollywood soapie star who is trying to find his place in the world. It his fifth production at the Guild, most recently appearing in The Underpants.
David Pointon plays Gary Peter Lefkowitz, a cocky, pompous TV producer. David is looking forward to playing a character with a ‘show me the money’ mindset.
“This is a classic hero’s journey portrayed with fun and light heartedness. Andrew receives the call to strive for something beyond himself,” David said.
I Hate Hamlet is on at the Guild Theatre, 87 Railway Street, corner of Walz Street, Rockdale, until June 10.
- Bookings: 9521 6358 (9am to 5pm Monday to Saturday).