Tonight is the opening of the stage production "I Hate Hamlet" for the Morristown Theatre Guild, a very funny comedy about love, life, art, commerce, television, fame, ghosts, Shakespeare and what happens when actors do not wear pants -- and it has been my great pleasure to direct this first production of the Guild's 76th season.
Performances are Friday and Saturday at 8 pm and Sunday at 2 pm this weekend and next weekend at the Rose Center in Prater Hall. And you can order tickets and make reservations here. And there are a couple of things which make this production a real first ... keep reading to learn more.
Here are a few images from Thursday night's dress rehearsal taken by Roger Fleenor
The ghost of John Barrymore listens in as his history is told
Barrymore woos a long-forgotten girlfriend from his past.
Here is a first - this production is the first time I've had to direct while being semi-silenced by some laryngitis, which hit me hard over the last weekend and has made me all wispy-voiced this week. But this cast is so strong and have been eager to collaborate on the production, that the problem has mostly been one of frustration for me. I likes to talk. I likes to talk a lot.
But now the time has come for me to slip into the background and let the players and the play stand on their own -- and truly, they do far more than just stand - they are going to rock your world.
