“I. HATE. Hamlet!” exclaims Andrew Rally (played by Andy Digby) early on in the Theatre Tallahassee production of Paul Rudnick’s “I Hate Hamlet.”
Normally this distinct distaste for the Bard’s most famous and complicated character would be a non-issue for Rally, a handsome early-1990s daytime TV hunk best known for a medical soap opera and an embarrassing commercial with a furry puppet of a co-star, but things are different now.
Rally has auditioned for and been offered the role of the titular Danish prince in an upcoming production of “Hamlet” at The Public Theater’s annual Shakespeare in the Park program. So the fact that Andrew admittedly has no business doing Shakespeare of any kind must give him pause.
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Theatre Tallahassee is presenting “I Hate Hamlet” June 5-7 and June 12-14, 2026.
In a happy coincidence though, Rally has recently moved into a beautiful home in New York, that just so happens to be the former abode of the late great legend John Barrymore, considered at the time of his iconic portrayal of Hamlet to be the greatest living American tragedian.
After Rally expresses his discomfort with the role, his girlfriend, Deirdre (Ellen Girvin), and his agent, Lillian Troy (Lenoir Shaver), decide that what Andrew really needs is a mentor, and who better than the late great John Barrymore himself?
Unfortunately, Andrew’s real estate agent and self-proclaimed medium Felicia’s (Gianna Delgado) self-proclaimed psychic powers prove completely unhelpful in the endeavor, and Andrew is left alone with his thoughts. It’s at this point the late great John Barrymore (Bob Myers) shows up to help.
It turns out that every actor to trod the boards as Hamlet will one day be assigned a future Hamlet to mentor, and Rally just so happens to be the case assigned to Barrymore. With Barrymore’s help, Andrew dives into the role, determined to prove himself worthy of such tutelage.
But just when Andrew is starting to make progress, his dedication to Hamlet is challenged by his old friend, Gary Peter Lefkowitz (Jimmy Maguire), who is pitching Andrew for the lead role in a TV show that sounds like the MCU rebooted Welcome Back Kotter. It’s the age-old struggle between art and commerce, and while the script never goes all in on these questions, it does provide for the most interesting dramatic scenes.
Andrew finds himself in the middle, with the ghost of John Barrymore playing the role of angel, arguing passionately for the virtues of the theatre as art, while Gary happily obliges as the devil on the other shoulder, often worrying about how Andrew’s decision will affect Gary’s own future. Will Andrew stay true to his newfound principles? Or will Gary persuade him that television is the answer to his sea of troubles?
Ashley Campbell helms the production and keeps the show moving briskly from beat to beat. She has also assembled a fine cast that handles both the broad comedy and the Shakespearean language with ease, playing off each other in grounded and hilarious ways.
Andy Digby leads the way, and his Andrew Rally is someone who has thus far skated by on his easy charm and good looks but deep down wants desperately to be a real actor. Unfortunately Andrew also possesses an equally strong need to be loved by all, hence the central philosophical conflict.
The supporting cast is also impressive, especially Bob Myers as Barrymore. While Myers has not been onstage for several years, prior to that hiatus he was a mainstay in the local theater community for over a decade, consistently giving great performances in all genres.
He returns in a role that seems tailor-made for him, effortlessly bringing the legendary thespian to life (so to speak) in a way that is both larger than life and completely grounded in reality. Jimmy Maguire plays wannabe Hollywood hot-shot Gary, the primary foil to Barrymore. Maguire is delightful, simultaneously embodying everything wrong with the business, while also being so awkwardly dorky in his attempts to be cool that he somehow winds up lovable.
Ellen Girvin is very good as Andrew’s love interest Deirdre, although this role is unfortunately underwritten. Her main conflict, her struggle to remain chaste while her boyfriend’s attempt at Shakespeare produces an extra charge in their relationship, is by far the most dated aspect of a script that has otherwise remained topical.
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Girvin is more than up for the challenge, though, and she plays these scenes with admirable gusto. She’s best served in the moments when she gets to let loose and talk about her love of Shakespeare, and her efforts to join the cast which are particularly memorable.
Lenoir Shaver brings humor, tenacity, and flair to her role as Rally’s agent, who shared a brief affair with Barrymore decades before. Rounding out the cast is Gianna Delgado as Felicia, the real estate agent, who steals scenes early and often; her seance especially is an early highlight of the evening.
With laugh-out-loud lines, physical comedy, philosophical debates, and a rousing swordfight, “I Hate Hamlet” is sure to please Bard aficionados and newcomers alike! I Hate Hamlet runs for the next two weekends at Theatre Tallahassee.
If you go
What: “I Hate Hamlet” presented by Theatre Tallahassee
When: 8 p.m. Friday, June 5; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday, June 6; 2 p.m. Sunday, June 7; 8 p.m. June 12 and June 13 and 2 p.m. June 14
Where: Theatre Tallahassee, 1861 Thomasville Road
Tickets: $15-$25; visit theatretallahassee.vbotickets.com
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: There’s a lot to love about Theatre Tallahassee’s ‘I Hate Hamlet’