Blackhorse wrapping up season with I Hate Hamlet

To be, or not to be, that is the question: To see I Hate Hamlet, that is the answer!

The Blackhorse Village Players are wrapping up their 37th season with the smart, sexy and hauntingly funny comedy, I Hate Hamlet, by Paul Rudnick.

I Hate Hamlet was inspired by circumstances when playwright Paul Rudnick answered an ad in the New York Times real estate section, for a "medieval duplex." Rudnick discovered that the apartment had been once occupied by legendary film star John Barrymore in 1917. Barrymore had renovated the premises into a Gothic retreat which he named The Alchemist's Corner.

The story revolves around Andrew Rally, a young man who seems to have it all: celebrity and acclaim from his starring role in a hit television series; a rich, beautiful girlfriend; a glamorous, devoted agent; the perfect New York apartment; and the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park. There are, however, a couple of glitches in paradise. Andrew's series has been canceled, his girlfriend is clinging to her virginity with unyielding conviction and he has no desire to play Hamlet. When Andrew's agent visits him, she reminisces about her brief romance with John Barrymore many years before, in Andrew's apartment. This prompts a seance to summon his ghost. From the moment Barrymore returns, dressed in high Shakespearean garb, Andrew's life is no longer his own.

Director, Brad Poirier (from Alliston), has assembled the talented cast which includes, Lui Pisano (Bolton), John Rowe (Grand Valley), Melissa Marks (Palgrave), Kate Horzempa (Barrie), Don Colucci (Aurora) and Denise Zahorodny (Schomberg).

I Hate Hamlet runs June 4 through June 21. For tickets call the box office at (905) 880-5002. The Blackhorse Theatre is located at 17272 Mount Wolfe Rd., just south of Highway 9 in Caledon.