Hamlet: Hail to the Thief – Shakespeare and Radiohead’s unlikely pairing at the RSC Theatre

Hamlet: Hail to the Thief, a co-production between the Royal Shakespeare Company and Factory International, brings together the unlikely pairing between an early modern playwright, who wrote some four-hundred years ago, and the popular rock band Radiohead. I was, needless to say, sceptical about the pairing, bearing in mind I am not a rock fan. However, I thoroughly enjoyed the production. The adapters and directors, Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones, snipped Hamlet’s narrative down to an hour-and-forty-minute production that encapsulated the entire play whilst cutting out some of the minor characters. This abridged version keeps loyal to the original play, whilst using the music of Radiohead to enhance the emotions and tensions on stage. Hoggett’s work as one of the founding members of Frantic Assembly, can be vividly seen in the play’s use of movement theatre, that adds depth and emotion to what is quite a wordy play. The merging of Shakespeare with early 2000s rock music is intended to bring in a younger audience to appreciate the work that is Hamlet, and successfully avoids not letting the music distract from the play, but rather enhances it.

We can understand the love between the characters and see Hamlet’s descent into madness more clearly

The music was a background element that was used to mark transitions and intensified scenes within the play, like the ending fight scene. The main credit to the inclusion of the Radiohead album Hail to the Thief is not its emo feel and lyrics, that can be read in a similar way to Shakespeare’s most iconic protagonist. Its credit lies in adding music to the movements of the characters, that allows us to see the relationships that are not usually evident in conventional Shakespearean renditions. Our first encounter of Hamlet and Ophelia together sees them moving in sync and playing around, a brief scene that shines light on a relationship that is only traditionally viewed when it’s at its end. We can understand the love between the characters and see Hamlet’s descent into madness more clearly. We see dance sequences between Claudius and Gertrude. Furthermore, movement sequences that see the relationship between couples such as Ophelia and Horatio and Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, help the characters feel more alive on the stage. Whilst the lyrics of the songs were largely ignored in favour of the musicians playing the music itself, the show brought the music into a good conversation with one of the most iconic plays of all time.

I, for one, was greatly moved by Ophelia’s death after her life was brought so vividly onto the stage

Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting design paired perfectly with the movement sequences to create emphasis on certain moments and lines in the scene. The use of lighting also accompanies scene transitions. Both allowed to the audience to witness greater emotions in the play – I, for one, was greatly moved by Ophelia’s death after her life was brought so vividly onto the stage. Samuel Blenkin’s Hamlet was captivating and wholly possessed by the music that accompanied the play. It was a great performance, alongside a very talented ensemble of actors.

The play remained about the King of Denmark and his troubled son, leaning into a more traditional approach to the text

When I entered the theatre, the set design captivated me, with coats hanging on the stage and fog filling the theatre. Sadra Tehrani’s set design incorporates clear boxes that resemble recording studios, where the musicians performed and projected images of speakers to give the production a modern theme that greatly complimented the music. Instead of bringing on chairs or blocks to change the dynamics of the stage, characters stood on and moved around speakers, which leaned further into the music studio feel. Despite these design choices, the play remained about the King of Denmark and his troubled son, leaning into a more traditional approach to the text.  To match the sinister-looking hanging coats, the cast donned mostly black costumes, designed by Lisa Duncan, where the exception to the rule laid in the white dress Ophelia is buried in. It was a very impactful choice that spoke to the emo nature of the lyrics of the music and dark plot of the play.

The production has already been performed in the Aviva Studios in Manchester for three weeks before making its way down to Stratford-Upon-Avon. The production at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre runs until 28^th June – I would highly recommend going to watch it. If you are a fan of Shakespeare or Radiohead then this is the perfect production for you, as it is loyal to each respectively, whilst introducing the other into the conversation. If you are a fan of both Shakespeare and Radiohead, then this is most certainly the Hamlet production for you.