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July 12, 2021

The production of the play “I Hate Hamlet” will premiere at Cosman Theatre, 12015 Mill St. in September.
Amanda Underwood
The production of the play “I Hate Hamlet” will premiere at Cosman Theatre, 12015 Mill St. in September.

Arts & Entertainment • July 12, 2021

The production of resident theatre group’s “I Hate Hamlet” begins

By

HUNTLEY – The production of the play “I Hate Hamlet”  will premiere at Cosman Theatre, 12015 Mill St. in September. The beginning process has been completed, and the crew is on their way to complete rehearsals in August. 

Director Regina Belt-Daniels said the Huntley Park District advisory board landed on “I Hate Hamlet” before the COVID-19 pandemic, with the intention to uplift people once events started to open back up. 

“I Hate Hamlet” follows tv actor Andrew Rally, who has accepted the part of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, but he doesn’t like Shakespeare and isn’t crazy about playing the role of Hamlet, Belt-Daniels said.

Living in New York City, Rally rents an apartment that used to belong to the late John Barrymore, a famous actor who played the part of Hamlet in the past. Barrymore’s ghost appears, and he guides Rally with how to play the part, Belt-Daniels said.

“I Hate Hamlet,” written by Paul Rudnick, premiered on Broadway in 1991, Belt-Daniels said. 

The advisory board has so far decided on a cast, developed a budget, updated sound and lighting at the Cosman Theatre, and started designing the set, Belt-Daniels said, in preparation for their performance starting Sept. 10, 11, 12, and then Sept. 17 and 18.

Rikki Lee Travolta, who founded Huntley’s resident theatre group, will play Rally in “I Hate Hamlet.” 

Travolta and the Huntley Park District advisory board chose to produce “I Hate Hamlet” after an online poll on Facebook concluded it was in favor, he said. 

Travolta’s favorite part of the process thus far has been being able to work with Belt-Daniels, due to her creative vision and talent to communicate what each individual actor needs to hear in order to succeed. 

“Actors are students of the director,” Travolta said. 

Just as students respond to different teaching techniques, Belt-Daniels finds a way to get through to people to achieve the end goal, Travolta said.

Travolta said he originally wanted to play Barrymore, but Belt-Daniels insisted he play Rally. 

“I think it was a good decision; I really connected with the role and really having fun learning the ins and outs of [Rally’s] personality,” Travolta said. 

“I Hate Hamlet” will be Belt-Daniels’ 35th production, and her first in Huntley.