The RSC’s latest take on Shakespeare’s classic begins with a lot of knocking, the lights dimming ever so gradually to slowly draw you in, the tension building as haze covers the stage in a thick layer of fog. When Radiohead’s music kicks in – and boy, does it kick in – the audience is already captivated. What follows is a 100 minute white knuckle ride through one of Shakespeare’s best known plays. Under the direction of Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett, this production infuses Hamlet with the music of Radiohead’s 2003 album, featuring additional orchestrations from Thom Yorke that underscore many of the scenes. The original story is mostly intact, although significantly truncated, with scenes zipping along at an incredible pace, punctuated with musical interludes that perfectly capture the ethereal atmosphere as Hamlet’s mental health dramatically declines.
Samuel Blenkin’s Hamlet is filled with grief – our introduction to the character finds him lying on the floor, disconnected from the world and full of self pity. He gabbles his speeches so quickly they almost run away from him, as his questions and thoughts pull him in all directions. This is an exhausting performance, elevated more so by Radiohead’s music, which Blenkin uses to carry him through the journey, allowing his movements and emotions to match the rhythm of the anthems. Yorke has chosen his tracks with utmost care to mirror the story – the track listing doesn’t follow the order from the original album; instead it has been shaped and altered to ensure that it never feels out of place within the world of Elsinore.
As Ophelia, Ami Tredrea is a revelation, bringing a side to the character that feels fresh and different. This is an Ophelia who is strong-willed and knows her own mind, one that is more than happy to stand up to her brother Laertes (Brandon Grace) and takes matters into her own hands when it comes to trying to console Hamlet. Tredrea plays against type, challenging what we think we know about Ophelia as a character – she is a woman of action, perfectly juxtaposing Hamlet’s indecisiveness. Her grief at her father’s death is accompanied with a superb rendition of Radiohead’s Sail to the Moon, and she is even granted her own death scene, reprising Hamlet’s famous “To be or not to be” speech before being seemingly swallowed by the ground in a stunning moment of stage wizardry.
The set design (Sadra Tehrani) features multiple levels, with heavy amps serving as plinths upon which various characters stand to deliver their speeches. Above them all stands Paul Hilton’s formidable Claudius, played here as a true dictator, an abusive husband and a general tyrant. As he belts his lines over Radiohead’s heavy rock music, it is enough to set the heart racing, creating a truly terrifying image. Claudia Harrison’s Gertrude sways between a Queen who presents herself well, and one who is falling apart at the seams. The death of Polonius is moved to a later point in Act 3, allowing us more time to enjoy Blenkin and Harrison’s confrontation without Polonius’s dead body getting in the way.
Despite being a tragedy, “Hamlet” contains many comedic moments, most of which come courtesy of Tom Peters’ Polonius, yet here the comedy feels a little off, the light-hearted touches at odds with the threatening, tense tones of Radiohead’s music. Maybe that’s the point – to Hamlet, these comedic flourishes mean nothing, his mind is taken over by grief and melancholy, and the soundtrack never allows us to forget that.
As co-founder of physical theatre company Frantic Assembly, Hoggett’s influence is felt throughout the play, particularly in Jess Williams’ choreography. This sort of movement may not be to everyone’s tastes, but they allow for certain aspects of the play to be physicalised in a way that helps to tell the story. Now we see Hamlet physically manipulate Rosencrantz (James Cooney) and Guildenstern (Felipe Pacheco), becoming puppet master as he tricks them into delivering their own death warrants. These choreographed segments allow us to glimpse moments previously unseen – we are given a more in-depth look at Hamlet and Ophelia’s early relationship, and an insight into Gertrude and Claudius away from court.
This is a visceral, emotional and simply astounding production of “Hamlet”. The play culminates in a scene of such violence (there is a lot of blood) and energy that you will be left gasping for breath as Alby Baldwin’s Horatio steps forward to wish her sweet prince good night. I simply cannot praise this enough. This is unlike any other production I have seen at the RSC. This takes Hamlet, and Shakespeare in general, to a whole new level.
Tom Morley, June 2025
For more information on how I decide on star ratings, see here: Star ratings – Broken Legs Blog
Review round-up:
Theatre and Tonic: Hamlet Hail to the Thief review – 5 stars from T&T, who concede that this play “won’t be for everyone“, but “if you’re willing to try it out, [it] certainly packs a punch“
The Guardian: Hamlet Hail to the Thief review – A 4 star review, that warns theatre goers to “believe the hype: Yorke’s arrangements are tremendous”
Time Out: Review: ‘Hamlet Hail to the Thief’ – An incredibly critical 3 star review from Time Out, who say “it’s not entirely obvious what “Hamlet” is gaining from any of this […] it’s a greatly shortened take on a play that realistically needs another hour (if not two) to really cook”
Broken Legs Blog 