With Shakespeare’s work (and somewhat fictional life as husband and dad) having a kind of resurgence around town and the globe, permeating movies and, of course, the theater, hearing a diametrically opposed position is actually kind of fun and refreshing. Paul Rudnick’s comedy-drama I Hate Hamlet shows what happens when a television actor is unexpectedly cast as the lead to perform in New York’s famous Shakespeare in the Park. Andrew barely auditioned; he just submitted his name to impress his Shakespeare-loving fiancée and assumed he’d get passed over by qualified theatrical performers. He’s especially irked because, well, he hates Hamlet!
When Andrew and his fiancée, Deirdre, a neatly paired Evian Guilfoyle and Eleanor Woodworth, move from LA into an old New York apartment, little did they know that it was once owned by the legendary actor John Barrymore. An inadvertent séance summons up the renowned actor himself, who takes Andrew under his wing, and hijinks ensue. A wonderfully tighted Barrymore, played to the hilt by a swashbuckling Moth Demiral, grooms Andrew and helps us all appreciate the timeless, tireless lessons of the Bard himself.
The rest of the ensemble performed beautifully with special nods to Lila Shaw as the TV agent, Gary; Devon Hoverter as the real estate connection, Felicia Dantine; and Imogen Talmadge as Lillian, an old talent agent with ancient connections to Barrymore back in the day. The young performers handle Rudnick’s rapid-fire one-liners with aplomb, covering everything from crass commercialism to acting faux pas to scene-stealing, all from the view of a famous Shakespearean actor’s ghost with his own sobriety and security issues. The 30-plus-year-old script is surprisingly fresh, especially in the hands of energetic near-twenty-somethings who have been schooled in Shakespeare since their early years. They live and breathe the stuff and have the times of their lives in gender-bending casting and bashing old assumptions to bits.
From the commercial POV, the casting agent Gary banters: “How much are you gonna clear from this Shakespeare deal? Zip, right? Actually, you’re paying them, because your time is valuable. A pilot and five episodes, high six figures.”
Then my favorite from Andrew, when Barrymore jostles him with swordplay: “Stop that! I hate swords! I hate violence! I have a gym excuse! No! Stop it. l I can’t do this. You’re very cute, but I’m not going to play. You think you can force me to be like you, to be Hamlet. To be bold, and dashing, and vengeful. Well, no. I don’t do that. I’m a liberal. So, no duels. No macho behavior. Not in my house.”
Andrew, of course, slowly and eventually succumbs to the wonder of Shakespeare describing the effect and impact in a poignant final monologue to which Barrymore exclaims: “There it is! The glory of Shakespeare. Hamlet has changed you. Altered your course.”
Per the program, “the heart of the play is an affectionate send-up, a sort of love letter to Shakespeare and a jolly roast of the actors and audiences who love him.” There it is, indeed.
Stacey Hamilton‘s costumes reach their heights with Lillian’s succulent, rich wrap and Barrymore’s resplendent cloaks, along with the required tights. Brian Weber’s set is hauntingly gothic with a staircase that adds height for full dramatic effect. Ron Murphy’s sound design is suitably atmospheric and syncs perfectly with Hailey LaRoe’s lighting to reveal ghostly images behind a screen beneath the stairwell.
Lumina was built on the belief “that young actors can perform brilliantly using the classics in imaginative ways; that actors and audiences can grow from barrier-free, intergenerational performances; and that theatre discipline and creativity are soul mates that belong to the entire community.”
Their one-weekend production of I Hate Hamlet, as directed by Sophie Cameron and Meg Lebow, showcased their exuberance and talent for all to enjoy.
I Hate Hamlet played April 10-11, 2026, presented by Lumina Studio Theatre’s Lumina Ensemble, performing at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD. Information about future productions is here or by emailing office@luminastudio.org.
I Hate Hamlet
Written by Paul Rudnick
Directed by Sophie Cameron and Meg Lebow
CAST
Devon Hoverter, Evian Guilfoyle, Eleanor Woodworth, Imogen Talmadge, Moth Demiral, Lila Shaw
PRODUCTION TEAM
Costumer: Stacey Hamilton
Set Construction: Brian Weber
Lighting Designer: Hailey LaRoe
Sound Engineer: Ron Murphy
Videography: Liz Porter
