“To be, or not to be? That is the question.” - It is for hack actor Andrew Rally in the Blackhorse Village Players production of I Hate Hamlet.

Written by Paul Rudnick, the play is set in a glitzy New York apartment once owned by legendary stage and screen actor John Barrymore.

Lui Pisano makes his first appearance on the Blackhorse stage as Andrew, a self-doubting actor whose most promising role to date was starring in a television commercial with a chipmunk. Looking for a place to live in the big city, he is given the opportunity to move into the apartment once owned by Barrymore.

Kate Horzempa takes on the role of Felicia - a real estate agent with a flirty side who thinks the apartment would be the perfect residence for an up-and-coming actor.

As Andrew waffles in his decision to move in, his theatrical agent Lillian checks in on her client.

Denise Zahorodny delivers more than a few laughs as the chain-smoking Lillian who claims to have had an affair with the famous Barrymore in that very apartment many years earlier.

When Andrew’s girlfriend Deidre arrives to see the apartment, we learn that he has been given the opportunity to play the lead in Hamlet during a free stage production in Central Park.

As Deidre the 29-year-old virgin, Melissa Marks sparkles as an optimistic dreamer who has hidden desires and the ability to provide Andrew with more than a small amount of frustration.

The women are enthralled by the aura that surrounds the furnishings and the stories, both true and embellished, of what may have happened when the great actor lived there.

When Andrew’s friend, and Hollywood director, Gary, drops in for a visit, he tells him that he is working on a lucrative television contract that could make Andrew a rich man. He can’t believe that Andrew may choose to take on a Shakespearian role over a TV show.

Veteran performer Don Colucci strolls on stage as the smooth-talking, deal-making Gary.

Although the theatre role may provide him with the credibility to launch his career to new heights, Andrew has serious doubts about his ability to play the lead in such a time-honoured play.

Enter Barrymore himself. Legendary actor, womanizer, playboy, and alcoholic. Well, more precisely, Barrymore’s ghost.

Playing Barrymore, John Rowe graces the stage in tunic and sword with a flair reserved for those who call the theatre their home.

As one who once played Hamlet, Barrymore has arrived from the great beyond to assist Andrew in his quest to conquer the role on stage.

Tutoring on the finer points of stage acting, Barrymore instills a confidence in his pupil who makes the decision to rise to the occasion and play the role of Hamlet like it has never been seen before.

Fulfilling that challenge is another matter.

Artistic director Brad Poirier has put together a nicely timed production filled with clever lines and some sight gags that keep a ripple of laughter flowing throughout the crowd.

The set design is a work of art itself and sets the tone fitting for the appearance of a ghost.

I Hate Hamlet is playing at Blackhorse Village Players in Tottenham until June 21. For information call 905-880-5002.