Review: Kanata Theatre's Presentation of I HATE HAMLET

Last night, Kanata Theatre premiered the final show of its 56th season, Paul Rudnick’s comedy, I Hate Hamlet to a full house. Andrew Rally (Josh Sparks) is a moderately recognizable television actor, who has recently transplanted from Los Angeles to New York City in order to try his hand at theatre. At his newly rented apartment that once belonged to John Barrymore, Rally reluctantly announces that he has been selected to play the title character in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet. Rally’s girlfriend, Deirdre (Shirley Manh) is giddy with excitement and immediately likens herself to Ophelia, Hamlet’s romantic, albeit ill-fated, love interest in the play. Rally’s chain-smoking, hawkish, agent, Lillian (Juli Heney) appears smug at landing her client the role of a lifetime. The only problem? Rally utterly HATES Hamlet, with an all-caps kind of hatred. Instantly regretting his decision, he tries to back out of it. Felicia (Les Bunbury), Rally’s real estate agent, who sometimes, maybe converses with the dearly departed, decides to hold an impromptu séance to summon the ghost of John Barrymore (Chris Cottrell) to intervene and help Rally come to his senses. But then, Gary (Adam Pelletier), Rally’s buddy from L.A., shows up with a lucrative TV offer that's almost too good to be true, and Rally must decide what he really wants.

Kanata Theatre has - once again - pulled off an impressive set, designed by Heidi Roberts. The use of effective lighting and haze by lighting designer, Anthony Rumsey, pulls the stage together and punctuates important moments in the show. A fight scene with swordplay is also fun to watch (fight choreography by Stavros Sakiadis). The costumes of the two Hamlets in particular, by Maxine Ball, are beautifully designed, and are both in keeping with the times in which they would have been created. The director, Stavros Sakiadis, ensures that the actors make good use of the entire stage area and creates a few excellent scene transitions.

The plot may sound a little too outrageous; however, the characters have surprisingly layered personalities and quirks that help not only to drive the story forward, but make the relationships in the play feel authentic, if not dysfunctional. The actors are convincing and committed to their roles, which is crucial in such a character-driven play. Sparks and Cottrell feed off each other’s energy and, as the main characters, it is unsurprising that they have the most lines. Cottrell’s use of non-verbal communication and expressiveness adds dimension to his performance. Sparks’ Rally waffles in much the same way as Hamlet does, as he decides “to be or not to be” the iconic character before his anxiety, fear, and melancholy overtake him.

The secondary actors deserve praise for strong performances. I thoroughly enjoyed Bunbury’s stereotypical New York attitude, laced with eccentricity; a brief moment of introspection belies Felicia’s ditzy exterior. Heney’s hawkish Lillian’s gruff demeanour dissipates under Barrymore’s gentle embrace. Pelletier embodies Gary’s hustler persona, despite a few fumbled lines. Manh’s portrayal of the effervescent Lilian who, like Ophelia, seems to descend into madness, is highly entertaining.