Review: HAMLET HAIL TO THE THIEF at Barbican Theatre

The result of this pairing is a dark and occasionally menacing foray into the underbelly of medieval Denmark with its ghostly disfigured projections (by Will Duke) and dastardly royal machinations. It’s less of a bastard child and more an oddly stylised Frankenstein’s monster - but often in a good way.

Prince Hamlet’s father has been murdered by his Uncle Claudius who quickly assumes his brother’s throne (and place in Queen Gertrude’s bed). A ghostly apparition steers Hamlet to the truth and he exacts revenge at the cost of virtually every member of the court. A tale as old as time is imbued with selective conversational updates but manages to retain most of the plethora of famous lines almost to the point of box ticking. Musical interludes - songs from the aforementioned album which was written in response to the election of George W Bush and the war on terror - are choreographed by Jess Williams with a contemporary street edginess. The result is bleak yet stylish, rushed but engaging, slick and yet a Hamlet-by-numbers with a nod to the age of vastly diminished attention spans and quick fixes.

Under the combined direction of Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones who are also responsible for the adaptation, Sam Blenkin in the title role indulges in occasional moments of reflection but also musters the spitting vehemency of a wronged youth throughout. Paul Hilton as Claudius seems a million miles from his gently fey E.M. Forster role which so disarmed in The Inheritance. Here, he swirls and spins, Rasputin-like, bedecked in long coats and wild facial hair. Other notables include Ami Tredrea as Ophelia and the energised pairing of Miles Barrow and Felipe Pacheco as Rosencrantz and Guildenstern respectively. Partly due to the truncated nature of the script which delivers the convoluted plot in a mere 100 minutes straight through without interval, Horatio and Laertes (Alby Baldwin and Brandon Grace) felt less integral to proceedings. And while Claudia Harrison’s Gertrude has key moments, she felt like an innocent bystander rather than integral and complicit in the changes at court and in her bed.

Ultimately this is a very visual show which leans heavily into inky hues and shadows. The neatly hacked sub-plots facilitate a speedier running time but nuance and subtlety are the unsurprising sacrificial offerings. HAMLET will be made more palatable for some (particularly the uninitiated and unfamiliar) while traditionalists will undoubtedly feel the simplifications play into the unstoppable but misguided need to afford patrons more time to be on their phones. Honestly, I appreciated the new approach (having already seen so many productions) but found myself slightly ambivalent about the production’s merits and shortcomings.

The run continues at the Barbican until 23rd January 2027.

Hamlet Hail to the Thief Tickets