“it’s like algebra on stage”
The most commercially minded character in show business to be found in the play is responsible for this nugget, certainly one of the most memorable lines in the play. Gary’s relationship to the “show” part of show business begins and ends at the words he connects with hyphens. He is what is known in the business—and by “business” is meant, of course, “the industry”—as a triple threat. He is a writer-producer-director. But he engages whatever talent he may possess in any one of those roles in the service of being popular enough to produce high ratings which translates into advertising dollars which helps to pay his salaries for all that writing and producing and directing so that he can continue produce more shows that get high ratings. Keeping all that in mind, then, the question becomes: what, exactly, is like algebra on stage? And the answer, of course, is Shakespeare who is for a guy like Gary nothing more nor less than a brand name which, to his mind, creates an unpleasant produce whatever it may be. Worth noting in Gary's defense, however, is that only someone with a brain geared toward creativity and away from the maddening logical rules of math would view algebra as the ultimate insult. So, he's not all bad.
“Hamlet is pure hormone.”
The Ghost of Barrymore distills the most complex and challenging stage role of the past four centuries into one easily digested metaphor for Andrew. And it must be admitted that he has a certain point. Such a distillation is certainly not the most misleading advice that has ever been given to an actor trying to work his way inside Hamlet's prickly mind.
A sideshow and three-ring circus.
Two metaphors used by two different characters to distill the legacy of John Barrymore. The first is the Ghost of Barrymore’s own description of himself to which Lillian responds with the similar, but notable more complex and expansive image of an entire circus rather than just the freak show element.
"Like the Hindenburg."
The Hindenburg was a German zeppelin that for a short period was a towering symbol of German engineering, until the day it instantly transformed into one of the most enduring metaphors for spectacular failure. The spectacular airship was just minutes away from successfully completing its maiden voyage across the Atlantic to America when suddenly it exploded into a massive fireball caught on camera with a horrifying live account delivered in unforgettable fashion by a radio reporter covering the event. As a result, even though just 36 lives were actually lost, for decades the Hindenburg became the disaster by which all others would be compared. And so it goes for Andrew who compares his opening night performance to that iconic event in 20th century history. Just to ensure that everyone understands the full extent of this comparison, he then goes to suggest that he was so bad that everyone will remember where the night they heard about Andrew Rally's Hamlet. The Hindenburg was just such a moment for many who were listening live to the radio coverage that day.
“I was just a lady-in-waiting.”
A strain of repression runs throughout the play, inspired no doubt by the repressive personality of the always talking, but rarely doing nature of Hamlet. The most explicitly repressed figure is, arguably, Andrew’s girlfriend, Dierdre. The fact that she is on the verge of turning thirty yet remains a virgin is a topic for running commentary and part of the play’s climax—if you will—is the unique manner in which she finally loses her virginity and the effect it has on her despite her not being exactly conscious of what took place. Which is itself another form of repression. She is finally ready to admit that things are going to change by engaging a rather uniquely interpretative—yet surprisingly appropriate—metaphor.
