I Hate Hamlet – Music Theatre of CT, Norwalk, CT USA

We saw I Hate Hamlet on opening night on February 4, 2023, and spent the night laughing tongue in cheek as well as laughing out loud. The plot and dialogue are spot on, and Director Kevin Connors elicits the very best from his highly credentialed cast.

Constantine Pappas (Andrew), Jo Anne Parady (Lillian)
I Hate Hamlet

The setting is mid-1990s in New York City. Andrew (played to perfection by Constantine Pappas) is a Hollywood TV star playing a young doctor in a series. When the series gets cancelled, his agent Lillian (played by Jo Anne Parady whose hilarious entrance sets the stage for the tempo of the play), pushes Andrew to take the role of a lifetime playing Hamlet in Shakespeare in the Park, meaning Central Park, in New York City.

Liliane Klein (Felicia)
I Hate Hamlet

Moving to New York, Andrew rents an apartment sight unseen from Real Estate Broker Felicia (played with zany hilarity by Liliane Klein). A far cry from his sleek and modern LA apartment, the New York City apartment is old and a dump by his standards, and he wants to immediately leave and stay at a hotel. Not about to lose her commission, Felicia tells Andrew that the famous actor John Barrymore (1882-1942) whose performance as Hamlet earned him the title of the "greatest living American tragedian," once lived in the apartment. Although Andrew is still on the fence as to whether he can play Hamlet, his young and a bit naïve girlfriend Deirdre, played by the lovely Elena Ramos Pascullo, is thrilled that Andrew will be playing one of the greatest Shakespearean roles ever.

Elena Ramos Pascullo (Deirdre), Constantine Pappas (Andrew)
I Hate Hamlet

Pulling out all the stops, the play takes a wacky turn when Felicia convinces Andrew, Deirdre, and Lillian to have a séance to contact Barrymore and ask his advice on Andrew playing Hamlet. Enter Dan O’Driscoll as John Barrymore, who plays the role with dashing, humor, cajoling, and guidance, as he tries to convince Andrew to take the role of Hamlet.

Séance
I Hate Hamlet

Robert Anthony Jones rounds out the hilarious cast of characters as Gary, an over-the-top pushy but fun-loving Hollywood writer whose pitch for a pilot was just accepted, and he needs Andrew to play the lead. With the possibility of lots of money on the line, Gary wants Andrew to dump Shakespeare in the Park, fly back to LA with him, and accept the pilot. Weighing the possibility of failure on the stage, it is up to Andrew to decide whether to push himself "to be, or not to be" Hamlet or return to LA and the safety net of a TV pilot. The play is fun, and a comedic frolic yet also addresses Andrew’s dilemma as to whether he can apply his TV success to acting on a stage. To learn his decision, you need to see Paul Rudnick’s play, I Hate Hamlet.

Dan O’Driscoll (John Barrymore)
I Hate Hamlet

I Hate Hamlet runs from February 3 – 19, 2023. The play runtime is 2 hours including a 15-minute intermission.

Until next time, keep enjoying and supporting the arts!

I Hate Hamlet Performance Schedule: Fridays at 8:00 pm, Saturdays at 2:00 pm and 8:00 pm, and Sundays at 2:00 pm.

Constantine Pappas (Andrew), Dan O’Driscoll (John Barrymore)
I Hate Hamlet

Special Notes: There are (2) performances that require masks: Friday, February 10^th at 8:00 pm and Saturday, February 18^th at 2:00 pm. Masks are not required at the other performances.

For information or to purchase tickets, please visit the website: https://www.musictheatreofct.com/, call the box office at 1-203-454-3883, or email them at: admin@musictheatreofct.com.

Robert Anthony Jones (Gary)
I Hate Hamlet

The box office is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 am until 3:30 pm and 2 hours before every performance.

Elena Ramos Pascullo (Deirdre)
I Hate Hamlet

I Hate Hamlet – The Cast

Constantine Pappas (Andrew), Dan O’Driscoll (John Barrymore)
I Hate Hamlet

I Hate Hamlet – The Creative Team

Current and Upcoming Productions for 2023

MTC New Voices – A Reading Series of New Plays by Contemporary Playwrights (Tuesdays at 7:00 pm)

About MTC

"Music Theatre of Connecticut is the premier provider of musical theatre performance and training. Founded in 1987, we produce an annual series of Equity productions featuring New York professionals (MTC MainStage), numerous annual student productions, and a conservatory-style School of Performing Arts with curriculum-based training for students ages four through high school, including the nationally recognized College-Bound in the Performing Arts program for performance career-focused high school students."

"The Music Theatre of Connecticut (MTC) was founded in 1987 by Kevin Connors (Artistic Director and Co-Founder) and Jim Schilling (Co-Founder), where MTC’s focus is musical theatre performance and training."

For more information on the Music Theatre of Connecticut, please visit their website: www.MusicTheatreofCT.com.

Music Theatre of Connecticut
509 Westport Avenue
(Enter the Bright Beginnings parking lot and look for MTC’s orange awning)
Norwalk, Connecticut 06851
United States
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