Jim Behr says although he doesn’t hate Hamlet or Shakespeare, he’s never been a huge fan. But now that he’s directing, “I Hate Hamlet,” which opens Feb. 3 at Three Brothers Theatre in its new larger space, he’s finding a bit more to like about the playwright who authored comedies and dramas 400 years ago.
“I’m taking the same journey the main character is in the course of the play while I’m directing,” said Behr. “Every time we go through it, I get a little bit more of the feeling for it and the nuances of Shakespeare.”
The story follows a successful television actor whose show has just been canceled. In a possible moment of weakness, he agrees to play Hamlet in Central Park in New York for a summer
But don’t expect Shakespearean language in this play – it was written in the 1990s as a comedy, taking the audience through a main plot and subplots that Behr said will keep them laughing.
“It is hysterical – the writing is brilliant. It’s a laugh riot all the way through, for the most part, but there are a couple of touching moments,” he said. “At the end most audience members will be taking the journey with him, they will probably come out with a better appreciation for Hamlet.”
Audiences will also enjoy a sword fight scene, he said.
In the play, the actor moves into an apartment that noted movie star and Shakespearean actor John Barrymore once inhabited. As the actor is saying to himself, “I hate Hamlet,” and wonders how he got himself into this and how he might be able to get himself out of it, the ghost of John Barrymore appears to coach him through the play.
Barrymore, the only non-fictional character in the play, was most famous for his portrayal of Hamlet on stage, Behr said. In “I Hate Hamlet,” he comes dressed as Hamlet and uses the flowery speech of Shakespeare, Behr said.
Subplots include the actor hoping his girlfriend will get intimate with him; an elderly German woman, his agent, who had a romance with Barrymore when she was 18; and the actor’s friend who’s trying to get him to give up on Hamlet and pursue some new television show prospects.
In the play, Barrymore’s ghost tells the actor, “Hamlet will change you,” and without giving away the ending, Behr said this experience does change the actor, and the audience will notice that in a few subtle, tender scenes in the play, he said.
As director, Behr said he’s encouraging the actors to develop their own back stories and flesh out the characters themselves. “The only one who doesn’t have that freedom is the young man playing John Barrymore. He was a real person – you have to be true to him. He was kind of a drunkard.”
Behr, who enjoys directing comedies, said he’s working with the actors on timing – and in the final dress rehearsal, an audience will be there so they can perfect that timing. “We need to know when the laughs are going to happen,” he said.
Behr said he is excited about directing in the new larger space. Three Brothers has moved down the street to a larger space that holds about 100 people compared with about 40 in the old space, he said.
“Moving into this new space has invigorated me and the whole cast and the whole theater company.” he said. “We’re all so pumped now that we have this new space. There will be a lot of work to configure it specifically for us…We’re all really excited.”
Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
I Hate Hamlet
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When: 8 p.m., Fridays and Saturdays, Feb.3-25
Where: Three Brothers Theatre, 221 N. Genesee St., Waukegan
Tickets: $15-$20
Information: 224-419-4325; www.3brostheatre.com