HAMLET

In Cinemas

★★★★

“revitalises the classic tragedy, landing with surprising warmth and clarity”

“The play’s the thing” and National Theatre Live remains one of the finest ways to share theatre widely. Kicking off the 2026 programme is ‘Hamlet’, captured from the Lyttelton Theatre run in 2025. Robert Hastie’s refreshingly modern production thrills, chills and fizzes with life, offering theatre devotees and casual viewers alike a compellingly atmospheric start to the new year.

The King is dead and Prince Hamlet suspects foul play. But in a world thick with treachery and madness, will the players hold their course or be pulled under?

Shakespeare’s haunting poetry is re energised as a vivid study of grief and emotional unravelling, balanced by surprising warmth and humour. Robert Hastie’s direction is assured and electrifying. The genuinely unsettling opening scene sets the tone, with ominous lighting, sound and even poltergeist jolts continuing to disturb the peace. Almost all the major characters receive a pleasingly layered interpretation. We lean into Hamlet’s ‘madness’, soliloquising beyond Elsinore’s physical bounds, firing real shots from an imagined gun, and communing with a sometimes-absent ghost, all the while disguising his deterioration with levity and biting quips. Claudius is unexpectedly sympathetic, displaying calm resolve and even genuine concern. His confession feels searching and his death becomes a defiant surrender rather than a forced poisoning. Ophelia’s arc shifts from romantic heartbreak to the crushing weight of her father’s murder, helped by a warmly awkward, devoted Polonius. Gertrude is the only major role that feels comparatively under developed. Overall, the production excels in emotional clarity, landing every line with purpose.

Ira Mandela Siobhan’s movement direction and Kate Waters’ fight choreography drive the energy, delivering slick, realistic sequences that culminate in a final duel brimming with passion.

Richard Taylor’s superb score moves from eerie, unsettling textures to frantic orchestrations, using silence as deftly as sound. The offstage Carducci quartet (Matthew Denton, Michelle Fleming, Eoin Schmidt-Martin, Emma Denton) deserve praise for their masterful execution.

Ben Stones’ set and costume design has a ‘Saltburn’ esque blend of grandeur and bleakness, balancing imposing scale with striking simplicity. When the set unexpectedly deconstructs for Ophelia’s funeral, it exposes the superficiality of Elsinore’s stateliness – simple yet richly layered.

Jessica Hung Han Yun’s lighting is superb, shifting effortlessly between psychological states. Opening in darkness with sparse torchlight infuses powerlessness and mistrust. Pulses of light sync perfectly with eerie glissandos, deepening the haunted atmosphere.

Alexandra Faye Braithwaite’s sound design captures the sense of isolation beautifully, though a little background noise from over sensitive mics creeps into the final mix.

Hiran Abeysekera delivers a remarkable Hamlet, embodying the Prince with clarity, precision and surprising sparkle, and holds focus throughout – no mean feat on a stage let alone a screen! Alistair Petrie’s Claudius is equally compelling, a masterclass in understatement. For once, I find myself sympathising. Francesca Mills’ Ophelia is funny, grounded and utterly real in a role that’s too often flattened. Tom Glenister’s Laertes is the perfect match, showing us true grief. Geoffrey Streatfeild’s Polonius is unexpectedly endearing, making his death quietly devastating. Aside from Ayesha Dharker’s slightly enigmatic Gertrude and a few stylised turns here and there, the ensemble is outstanding, breathing life into the oppressive Elsinore.

Not forgetting the production teams for this recording, the filming and editing do real justice to the performance.

National Theatre Live’s ‘Hamlet’ revitalises the classic tragedy, landing with surprising warmth and clarity. You’ll see the play in a new light, so catch it in cinemas while you can.

HAMLET

National Theatre Live – In Cinemas from 22nd January 2026

Reviewed on 9th January 2026

by Hannah Bothelton

Photography by Sam Taylor

Hamlet

★★★★

“Carvel is all stooping eccentricity with a touch of Reginald Perrin”

When George Bernard Shaw wrote “Pygmalion” in 1912, its West End premiere was delayed due to the leading lady’s nervous breakdown. Instead, the German translation opened in Vienna followed by the New York production where it was described as a ‘love story with brusque diffidence and a wealth of humour’. Richard Jones’ revival at the Old Vic retains the ‘wealth of humour’, has exchanged the diffidence for a bold confidence, but as for ‘love story’ – that’s gone completely out the window. There is a mechanical edge to it that, despite being well-oiled and finely tuned, partially obscures its beating heart.

It opens quite spectacularly, to the angular, staccato strains of Tony Gayle’s modernist jazz chords – perhaps a touch too modern for the already updated setting. Stewart Laing’s circuit board backdrops are a bit of a puzzle, unless you accept that this may be a clever twist on the phrase ‘Code-Switching’: the term applied to changing your voice and dialect to fit into a new social environment. Jones’ production fully takes on board the concept of Professor Henry Higgins’ social experiment, and exudes the same detachment as though we are watching a presentation through glass.

It does enable us to focus on the central, magnified performances. Led by Bertie Carvel’s Henry Higgins and Patsy Ferran’s Eliza Doolittle, they cannot be accused of shying away. Carvel is all stooping eccentricity with a touch of Reginald Perrin though less unwitting. Preoccupied and arrogant, Carvel eradicates everything that might be likeable about his character. A character that stretches the patience of those initially loyal to him. Penny Layden gives one of the more heartfelt performances as his housekeeper, Mrs Pearce, and Sylvestra Le Touzel captures the exasperation of Higgin’s mother. But we are frustrated by Carvel’s Higgins remaining so impervious to everyone and everything around him.

“The urge to update and radicalise is always going to compete with the option of playing it safe.”

Carvel’s performance would steal the show if it weren’t for Ferran’s spirited no-nonsense Eliza Doolittle. Aware from the start that she is a vehicle for the professor’s sport, she is pragmatic and steely enough to rise above it. Ferran never loses her grip on humility, however, which ultimately gives her the upper hand. Hers is the one true draught of passion that disturbs the otherwise emotionally static production.

The best illustrations of George Bernard’s Shaw satire come from the supporting roles. Times have changed since Shaw wrote his ground-breaking play. Class and social mobility are much more blurred and the way one speaks is no longer a definition of one’s status. But other observations stand out and ring true. John Marquez, as Eliza’s bin-man father who “can’t afford morals”, is a delight to watch and is a master at comic delivery.

It is a very familiar story, but ‘ay, there’s the rub’. The urge to update and radicalise is always going to compete with the option of playing it safe. This production falls somewhere between the two. Whether it’s a direct consequence or not, we are tempted to question the sincerity and authenticity. Yet it is still a hugely entertaining piece of theatre, dominated by commanding performances. Despite being a little confused as to what time period it is being set in, we are indeed reminded of the timeless nature of the play and that its appeal will never go away.

Tag Archives: Liz Jadav

HAMLET

★★★★

In Cinemas

HAMLET

In Cinemas

★★★★

“revitalises the classic tragedy, landing with surprising warmth and clarity”

HAMLET