As is usually the case at the National Theatre, the set (Ben Stones) is impressive, and on that basis alone, this show would be a good candidate for the ongoing NT Live series, where people can book to see a live or a ‘recorded live’ performance at a local cinema. Indeed, it is to be screened in cinemas in late January 2026. The royal castle, Elsinore, looks appropriate for the functioning headquarters of a monarchy: perhaps some people might have preferred to see more portraits and artefacts, as though it were a National Trust visitor attraction. At least to me, the murals looked good, and I am led to believe the wall paintings portray key events in Danish history. Some of the costumes (also Stones) are curious, however, with characters more often than not dressed in contemporary garb. The title character even sports a T-shirt in one scene. It felt, to be blunt, half-arsed, and it would have been better if the production had stuck to more traditional outfits or otherwise have gone the whole hog in terms of modernity and had, amongst other things, the new king Claudius’ (Alistair Petrie) security use closed circuit television to patrol the perimeter, even if it has been done before.
Hiran Abeysekera is a gifted actor, and his 2022 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor for his performance in Life of Pi was justified. But he is rather miscast here as Hamlet – it is difficult to believe he is Danish royalty, or indeed part of the establishment in any country, jumping and bouncing around in a way that was at odds with his character’s supposed melancholy, and sometimes talking far too quickly, such that some of the soliloquies felt very rushed, and in turn somewhat devoid of nuance. Francesca Mills’ Ophelia was the standout for me, convincingly plumbing emotional depths and reaching for emotional highs (this being a tragedy play, there was inevitably more of the former) with an engaging stage presence.
A briskly paced production, it finishes the ‘right’ side of three hours (or the ‘wrong’ side, if you’re a Shakespeare purist) and yet it isn’t the speediest rendering of Hamlet I’ve ever come across – that accolade, for the record, belongs to a production at the 2022 Edinburgh Fringe, which lasted seventy-five minutes. Here, Rosencrantz (Hari Mackinnon) and Guildenstern (Joe Bolland) were, at least initially, so indistinguishable from one another that Claudius getting them mixed up felt understandable. Geoffrey Streatfeild’s Polonius was quite brilliant, varying his manner of speaking depending on who he was talking to – an address to his children, Laertes (Tom Glenister), and Ophelia had an altogether different tone to his conversations with the king.
Certain shows are frequently revived for a good reason, namely that they are worth watching. The marketing for this production claims it is a ‘reimagining’ – I’m not sure I agree, as there are no major surprises for anyone already familiar with the play. To me, this is another serving of Hamlet, serviceable and satisfying, nothing less and nothing more.
Review by Chris Omaweng
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Are you watching closely?
Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question – you know the one.
CAST in alphabetical order
Hamlet – Hiran Abeysekera
Guildenstern – Joe Bolland
Marcellus / Captain – Phil Cheadle
Gertrude – Ayesha Dharker
Ghost / Player King / First Gravedigger – Ryan Ellsworth
Laertes – Tom Glenister
Osric / Voltemand – Mary Higgins
Nurse / Priest – Liz Jadav
Fortinbras – Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer
Rosencrantz – Hari Mackinnon
Ophelia – Francesca Mills
Cornelius / English Ambassador / Second Gravedigger – Sophia Papadopoulos
Claudius – Alistair Petrie
First Player – Siobhán Redmond
Francisco / Reynaldo – Seb Slade
Polonius – Geoffrey Streatfeild
Bernardo – Noel White
Horatio – Tessa Wong
Supernumeraries – Adil Akram, Yemisi Bello, Henry Brackenridge, Toni Brooks, Dominic Farrow, Ting Fung, Rachelle Grubb, Choy-Ling Man, Derek Oppong and Selina Patankar
CREATIVES
Director – Robert Hastie
Set and Costume Designer – Ben Stones
Lighting Designer – Jessica Hung Han Yun
Sound Designer – Alexandra Faye Braithwaite
Composer – Richard Taylor
Movement Director – Ira Mandela Siobhan
Fight Director – Kate Waters
Casting – Alastair Commer CDG and Martin Poile CDG
Voice Coach – Shereen Ibrahim
Associate Director – Georgie Staight
HAMLET
By William Shakespeare
National Theatre
25 September to 22 November 2025
