Nicol Williamson, who played the role of John Barrymore in the initial Broadway production, was notoriously mercurial, and gradually alienated most of his fellow cast and crewmembers. This animosity culminated in an injury to co-star Evan Handler during an onstage sword fight.
Evan Handler, a co-star of "I Hate Hamlet," left the stage near the end of the first act Thursday night, gave his notice, and walked out of the Walter Kerr Theater. Mr. Handler's unplanned departure came after a dueling scene with Nicol Williamson, the play's star, who apparently ignored the choreography and struck Mr. Handler on the back with the flat part of his sword. Andrew Mutnick, Mr. Handler's understudy, finished the performance.[3]
Paul Rudnick later detailed Williamson's deterioration in a 2008 article for the New Yorker.[4]
