Interludes

VIEWPOINTS – HAMLET/HAMNET: Britain’s National Theatre and Royal Shakespeare Company tote their productions stateside

• By drediman
• May 6, 2026
• No Comments

Over the past month or so, two of Britain’s most prominent theater companies — the National Theatre (based in London) and the Royal Shakespeare Company (based in Stratford-upon-Avon) — have brought two of their recent high profile productions, Shakespeare’s Hamlet and the stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel Hamnet, stateside. As always, read on for my thoughts on these complimentary theatrical works.

HAMLET
The National Theatre at the Brooklyn Academy of Music
Through May 17

Last night, I made my way to the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s BAM Harvey Theater to take in the National Theatre’s production of Hamlet (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED) starring The Life of Pi’s Hiran Abeysekera as a disarmingly boyish, wickedly contemporary Danish prince. As directed by Robert Hastie (who is currently represented by the musical Operation Mincemeat, which impressively continues its run on Broadway), Shakespeare’s famous tragedy has been smartly updated and re-considered — somehow without losing the underlying essence of the play, even re-arranging some of the text to flow more cohesively with the drama. Accordingly, the production’s designs are stylish without alienating traditionalists — the well-paced staging unspools on an uncluttered playing space that seems to morph organically (and sometimes imperceptibly) as we proceed along the play’s familiar narrative threads. There are sly directorial touches abound — some suggestively queer overtones, the refreshingly diverse and counterintuitive casting, touches of unexpectedly amusing meta-theatricality — which makes this a Hamlet that’s at once accessibly familiar yet disarmingly unexpected, particularly as it relates to preconceived notions regarding certain characters and dramatic situations. Although this is not the most deeply felt nor consistently acted version of the play that I’ve seen, I was nevertheless captivated throughout. Thankfully, Abeysekera in the title role maintains Hastie‘s carefully calibrated vision with a beguilingly restless turn that sets just the right darkly comic tone for our sardonic and disconnected age. The production’s other notable performance belongs to Francesca Mills, whose brash Ophelia is a boldly reconceived creation. The production marks the commencement of a partnership between the National Theatre and BAM, which should yield to some fascinating synergies to come.

HAMNET
Royal Shakespeare Company at Shakespeare Theatre Company
Closed

Also recently, I had the opportunity to take a quick in-and-out day trip to Washington, DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company to catch the Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s speculative historical novel Hamnet (RECOMMENDED). In short, the play chronicles the tragic inspiration for the evergreen tragedy Hamlet — namely, the grief endured by William (as in Shakespeare) and Agnes (a stand-in for the Bard’s wife Anne Hathaway) following the death of their son Hamnet at a younthful age. There’s no getting around the substantial exposition of O’Farrell’s largely fictitious imagining of historical events. Thankfully, playwright Lolita Chakrabarti‘s efficient yet faithful theatrical take of the novel keeps Hamnet and his twin sister Judith front and center throughout — they comment on the action as if from another dimension — so as to guide our focus to the central thematic strands of the eventful plot. The workmanlike approach can also be found in Erica Whyman direction, which keeps the scenes swiftly flowing — taking place on a blandly utilitarian set by scenic designer Tom Piper — a signature of the RSC, whose legendary page-to-stage adaptations include the day-long Nicholas Nickleby and the musical Les Misérables. Thankfully, the evocative performances imbue the production with much needed emotional heat and texture, most notably Kemi-Bo Jacobs, who brings a steely resolve and seductive feral energy to the role of Agnes. Despite the patience it admittedly takes to get there, Hamnet is ultimately affecting and heart-swelling as it arrives at its final destination. It goes without saying that, while watching the RSC’s satisfying production, it was both fascinating and hard not to compare Chakrabarti‘s stage adaptation with Chloé Zhao‘s pungent, recently Oscar-nominated film.