RCP to present ‘Barbecuing Hamlet’

MIDDLEPORT — “To be or not to be? That is the question.”

Everyone knows this classic line from William Shakespeare’s Hamlet, and River City Players (RCP) have been hard at work in order to bring an new, and a little unusual, version of the Bard’s familiar tragedy to the stage.

RCP will be presenting Barbecuing Hamlet at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 4, at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 5, and 7 p.m. on Friday, June 10 and Saturday, June 11. Performances will be held at Middleport Village Hall. Tickets are $10 at the door, and are currently on sale at The Fabric Shop in Pomeroy.

This hilarious farce tells the story of a small community theater group known as the Peaceful Glenn Memorial Players who decide to bring in New York native Margo Daley to direct their production of Hamlet. But when she arrives, Margo discovers this group of thespians is unlike any other group she’s ever met. Not only have they renovated a former funeral home to serve as their theater, they have a certain way of doing things. First, Margo must make the play a melodrama so the audience knows when to throw popcorn at the bad guy. During rehearsals, the actors can’t speak too loudly or the lady who lives under the theater will bang her cane on the stage. Margo is also forced to insert the sponsors’ names into the play, as well as change the play so Hamlet takes place in the Old West. And if that wasn’t enough, Margo must remind the actors to “talk real loud” during the first few minutes of the show so they can be heard over the sound the audience makes while sucking their fingers after they’ve eaten the barbecue sold prior to the show.

“This play has been so much fun to work on and promises to be an extremely hilarious show for our audiences to enjoy,” Director Nathan Jeffers said about the production. “Aside from just being a really fun script with some great comedic characters and one-liners, it encompasses some quirky community theater traits that we’ve experienced firsthand in RCP which has added a lot of fun to the rehearsal process. Even if you’re not a fan of Shakespeare, you’ll really enjoy this show.”

“Another reason this play has been so fun has been the terrific cast,” Jeffers added. “This cast features several RCP veterans known for their excellent comedic portrayals in previous RCP productions, as well as some newcomers who are stepping up and giving the veterans a run for their money.” Featured in this crazy cast of characters are Nathan Becker, Janis Carnahan, Tony Carnahan, Dan Dunham, Janice Grimm, Veronica Grimm, Mike Kennedy, Celia McCoy, Jesse Rivers, Jana Robinette, Dixie Sayre, Amy Perrin, and Gary Walker.

For more information on Barbecuing Hamlet or purchasing advanced tickets, visit RCP on Facebook, or email [email protected].