In all the excitement surrounding the collaboration between the Royal Shakespeare Company and Factory International, it’s easy to overlook what truly lies at its core. Despite impressive credentials, including stints with American Idiot and Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, the focus isn’t on co-directors Stephen Hoggett and Christine Jones. And it’s not just Radiohead’s Thom Yorke, who adapted the band’s earlier album, Hail to the Thief, for the soundtrack.
No, at the heart of it is a 425-year-old play by William Shakespeare, a remarkable performance from Samuel Brenkin, and a narrative that feels just as confrontational as Yorke and his band did in the wake of 9/11 and George W. Bush’s presidency.
It’s worth noting that Jones first drew a connection between Hamlet and the Radiohead album while working as a designer for a production of the play two decades ago. Both works explore themes of rebellion against power, corruption, and deceit, though in this particular staging, that connection remains a bit more subtle.
Brenkin captures the essence of anger, presenting a Hamlet that combines defiance with a stirring moral clarity. He makes a compelling case against the hypocrisy of his uncle—his father’s murderer—and the society that supports him. His emotional turmoil resonates with an entire generation grappling with feelings of betrayal, as seen in heated confrontations with Gertrude (played convincingly by Claudia Harrison) and in dramatic exchanges with Claudius (portrayed by Paul Hilton).
Under Hoggett’s direction, this production embraces a lively style, blending physical theater with emotional depth. You notice it in the whimsical movements of a party coat or the way Hamlet, while dancing, seems to lose gravity momentarily as he shares his sorrows with a friend.
The performance unfolds amidst a backdrop of amplifiers, designed with striking precision by Sadra Tehrani and illuminated effectively, while Jessica Hung Han Yun utilizes a stark black-and-white palette that feels quite unsettling. There’s an intensity even from Ophelia (a fierce Amitredorea) when she questions reality.
And yes, the excitement is justified: York’s musical composition is nothing short of stunning. In the sound booth, singers Megan Hill and Ed Begley are accompanied by a five-piece band that creates sonorous waves, vibrating with an electrifying blend of sounds at critical moments. Ophelia’s disarray is reflected in the turbulent imagery of nursery rhymes tied to the moon, while Hamlet’s dramatic return to a wintry Elsinore resonates with intensity. This tension builds through the aftermath of Polonius’s murder (played by Tom Peters, who brings earnestness to a complex character).
The spectacle and the unconventional storytelling approach add a flavor reminiscent of Grand Guignol, yet Hamlet to the Thief effectively communicates a clear and visceral tale of revenge, marked by both boldness and clarity.
