I Hate Hamlet is a sitcom with a gimmick: the ghost of great American actor John Barrymore. As long as Barrymore's on stage, flamboyantly declaiming, the show has some entertainment value. Otherwise, Paul Rudnick's sometimes funny and literate comedy, is safe, routine stuff. The new occupant of an apartment once owned by the Great Profile is Andrew, a young TV star. Andrew is now fearfully preparing to play Hamlet in a theatre-in-the-park revival. During a seance conducted by Andrew's real estate agent, Barrymore emerges from his full-length portrait over the fireplace.
The rest of the plot concerns the dead classical actor discussing the merits of theater vs. television with Andrew and his best friend, the California TV producer Gary Peter Lefkowitz.
Rudnick can do snappy dialogue, but stereotypes abound. The most obvious is Lefkowitz, a fast-talking caricature who embodies every cliche about Hollywood and television. "Why do arty drama in a basement," he notes, "when you could be making a million in a series?" Larry Yando plays the role with relish, even unto making a droll, credible case for the producer's point of view.
The heart of the play is Barrymore, played by John Vickery with a booming voice and great gusto. Bearing a passing resemblance to the real actor, Vickery looks good in tights and believably represents the old school of acting's larger-than-life style. Stephen Caffrey's informal, often flustered Andrew contrasts nicely with the assured, sometimes pompous Barrymore. Other figures on display are the trendy real estate lady (Joan Schwenk), Andrew's annoying girlfriend (Martha Gehman), and his German agent (weakly played by Jane McIver). Linda Buchanan's vast, marvelous living room set comes complete with huge fireplace, staircase and 1920's furniture. Glib and uneven as it is, I Hate Hamlet is much better than the Royal George's recent Lend Me A Tenor -- and that ran for two years.
