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GEORGETOWN, DEL. —
The Possum Point Players’ “I Hate Hamlet” is both a tribute to and a parody of the life of an actor. It’s familiar fare for director Linda Killion, who survived years as an actor and director, cobbling together work while waiting tables in New York City and Los Angeles before moving to Sussex County.
Lately she’s been leading a group of dedicated actors in “I Hate Hamlet,” which opens at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, at Possum Hall, 441 Old Laurel Road, Georgetown.
The show follows rising star Andrew Rally, whose TV career is in limbo. He relocates to New York where he’s offered the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park’s latest Shakespeare in the Park production. The only problem? He hates “Hamlet.” He turns to his agent for help, and she finds the perfect mentor – the ghost of John Barrymore, the quintessential Hamlet. With an eccentric agent, the spirit of a dead actor, and a handful of other colorful characters, Rally figures out what it’ll take to make it as an actor.
The actors are in good, if kooky, company in this production, according to Killion.
“Character pieces are always the best in my opinion because you can do so much with it,” she said.
Those characters’ actions should translate into lots of laughs, whether it’s from Rally swordfighting with the ghost of Barrymore, or a waltz between the agent and the ghost. Killion assures that the show should please even those who have never stepped on a stage.
“Anybody will like it because it’s funny, it’s lighthearted, it’s fast paced,” Killion said.
One of the actors bringing the laughs is Esther Friend of Lewes as Rally’s agent. The 91-year-old actress is no stranger to the stage and the life of an actor – she’s been a performer since she was 3. It was then her parents discovered she could memorize anything they taught her, and she started performing in the days before radio and television existed.
In recent years, Friend has been drawn to characters with a “quirky kind of independence,” like Veta Louise in “Harvey” and one of the murderous aunts in “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Her current role has the same tone.
“She has the toughness of that role, of being an actor’s agent — you got to be tough — but at the same time she has a soft spot in her heart,” she said.
The Possum Point Players’ “I Hate Hamlet” is both a tribute to and a parody of the life of an actor. It’s familiar fare for director Linda Killion, who survived years as an actor and director, cobbling together work while waiting tables in New York City and Los Angeles before moving to Sussex County.
Lately she’s been leading a group of dedicated actors in “I Hate Hamlet,” which opens at 8 p.m., Friday, Jan. 20, at Possum Hall, 441 Old Laurel Road, Georgetown.
The show follows rising star Andrew Rally, whose TV career is in limbo. He relocates to New York where he’s offered the chance to play Hamlet in Central Park’s latest Shakespeare in the Park production. The only problem? He hates “Hamlet.” He turns to his agent for help, and she finds the perfect mentor – the ghost of John Barrymore, the quintessential Hamlet. With an eccentric agent, the spirit of a dead actor, and a handful of other colorful characters, Rally figures out what it’ll take to make it as an actor.
The actors are in good, if kooky, company in this production, according to Killion.
“Character pieces are always the best in my opinion because you can do so much with it,” she said.
Those characters’ actions should translate into lots of laughs, whether it’s from Rally swordfighting with the ghost of Barrymore, or a waltz between the agent and the ghost. Killion assures that the show should please even those who have never stepped on a stage.
“Anybody will like it because it’s funny, it’s lighthearted, it’s fast paced,” Killion said.
One of the actors bringing the laughs is Esther Friend of Lewes as Rally’s agent. The 91-year-old actress is no stranger to the stage and the life of an actor – she’s been a performer since she was 3. It was then her parents discovered she could memorize anything they taught her, and she started performing in the days before radio and television existed.
In recent years, Friend has been drawn to characters with a “quirky kind of independence,” like Veta Louise in “Harvey” and one of the murderous aunts in “Arsenic and Old Lace.” Her current role has the same tone.
“She has the toughness of that role, of being an actor’s agent — you got to be tough — but at the same time she has a soft spot in her heart,” she said.
This could be Friend’s last role before retiring from the stage. Then again, she’s not ready to make that official.
“I think this is my last hurrah. The anxiety of if your body is going to hold up for the run is a little much,” she said. “This might be it. Of course last time I thought that would be my last hurrah.”
Killion hopes it won’t be the last time she gets to work with Friend. The two were a team in 2010 when Friend directed Killion in “You Can’t Take it With You” at the Milton Theatre, and the two share a mutual respect.
Friend said Killion “has vast experience and a real vim for working to make everything come out right.”
As for Killion’s feelings on Friend, the feeling is equally flattering.
“She’s great, she is amazing,” Killion said. “She is my role model. I want to be just like her.”
