HAMLET

Sadler’s Wells

★★★★

“a compelling dance piece: erratic and tragic; beautiful and brutal”

For the late dancer and choreographer, Dada Masilo, dance was a calling rather than a profession. Her obituary in The Guardian reflects on how she would fuse contemporary ballet with her South African culture to provoke audiences as much as entertain. Her work was always vital, dealing with issues of power, greed, domestic violence, rape, misogyny, homophobia, vengeance, grief. Renowned for reinterpreting classics, her final production – a reimagination of Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” that places Ophelia centre stage – premiered in Vienna in 2024 just before she died unexpectedly after a short illness, aged just thirty-nine. Her company (The Dance Factory) has continued to tour and preserve the piece as her final artistic statement.

As much as it focuses on Ophelia, Masilo’s “Hamlet” is surprisingly faithful to the overall original narrative. All the key elements are present and, although none overpower, Ophelia’s own viewpoint is just part of the mix rather than the thrust. Her descent into madness and ultimate tragic death is a highlight rather than the essence. Yet the portrayal, through movement and the brilliantly choregraphed sequences, is quite stunning. Lehlohonolo Madise gives a fearless performance, with a physical and mental candour that is staggering in its suppleness and honesty. As she winds down towards her watery grave, Llewellyn Mnguni’s majestic Gertrude echoes the steps and the spins as though a reflection against the surface of the water. A voiceover of Gertrude’s vivid soliloquy that describes Ophelia’s drowning, is unnecessary. The power of the visuals should be left to stand alone.

Nevertheless, a knowledge of the story is essential to appreciate the full meaning of the dance. The inclusion of an actor (Aphiwe Dike) to play Hamlet in addition to dancer Tumelo Lekana is an attempt to explain some of the action, and as a device is successful, if a little jarring. The show opens with the ‘To Be or Not to Be’ speech, neatly introducing Ophelia – the ‘Nymph in thy Orisons’ – during its closing couplet. Lekana and Madise have an undeniable chemistry as they circle each other, attracting and repelling in equal measure. A flirtatious tarantella – almost erotic – gives way over time to aggression and Hamlet’s cruel rejection of Ophelia. Dialogue once again replaces the wordless dance, but this time the effect is diminishing.

Thuthuka Sibisi’s score is a powerful driving force, mixing African rhythms with discordant violins and distorted organs. The drums beat throughout, anchoring the staccato movements of the ensemble. The moves are precise and rapid, but a grace pervades like the glissandos and slurs that punctuate the music. Moments of celebration, and then of fighting, go hand in hand. Like Shakespeare’s original, the finale arrives in a bit of a rush. Yet Masilo’s sensitive choreography manages to slow it down, while Suzette le Seur’s lighting bathes the stage in blood-red washes. Everybody drinks from the poisoned chalice. Everybody ends up dead on the ground. Visually it is a spectacle, but we feel a touch emotionally deprived.

Dada Masilo’s “Hamlet” is a gorgeous fusion of styles. The costumes draw from many sources; mixing Flamenco flourishes, lounge-jazz tuxedos and shades of Commedia Dell ‘Arte. Hamlet and Ophelia often come across as a Harlequin and Colombina couple. The ballet is fast paced, and before you know it, the hour-long performance has reached its finale. It has been invigorating, even if Ophelia’s side of the story hasn’t lived up to the heights promised at the outset. ‘Dance is not worth doing if it doesn’t have a visceral impact’, Masilo said in the run up to creating this show. This revival certainly lives up to her ethos and her standards. It is a compelling dance piece: erratic and tragic; beautiful and brutal. The Dance Factory have done her legacy proud with this evocative production.

HAMLET

Sadler’s Wells

Reviewed on 25th May 2026

by Jonathan Evans

Photography by Lauge Sorensen

HAMLET

★★★★★

“An intoxicating blend of tradition and modernity”

For Paco Peña, and his renowned Flamenco Dance Company, there is no division between the old and the new. His show, “Solera”, which returns to Sadler’s Wells for the third time takes its title from the Andalusian system of aging wine in which vintages of different ages are blended. Peña views the art of Flamenco with the same reverence and respect ensuring the perfect balance between the hard-won quality of tradition and the freshness and fearlessness of youth.

The company assembled for the show crosses the generations and is fairly small in size, although the sheer wealth of talent is extraordinary. Peña is joined onstage by two fellow guitarists, Dani de Morón and Rafael Montilla; two singers (Immaculada Rivero and Iván Carpio); three dancers – Angel Muñoz, Adriana Bilbao and Gabriel Matias and percussionist Julio Alcocer. Within minutes we feel we know each of them personally – their individualism standing out, and yet also complementing each other by blending in with the theatricality of the performance.

From the outset tradition is defied. The sounds of traffic are heard while a harsh backlight reveals the cast on their daily commute, phones glued to their ears. They disperse and reassemble in the rehearsal room. An air of random informality is brought into shape by the strict and intricate rhythm of Alcocer’s percussion. In silence, the performers meet and greet, shed their overcoats and their inhibitions and merge into harmony. The guitars join in, the dancers respond and the singers react. It is a three-way conversation between rhythm, music and movement. A call and response, with an unbreakable and hidden connection between every cast member. Virtuosity is the vanguard, but emotion is the cutting edge. Intricacy and passion collide in perfect harmony.

The elders inform the younger members while the young ones inspire their forebears. The flamenco guitar prompts the movement and the footwork and vice versa. It feels like a jam session in places, but the concentration never slips even when a character relaxes to watch another’s routine. There are moments of calm, moments of fun and moments of undiluted brilliance. The dancers’ ‘Escobilla’ (impossibly fast footwork) is breathtaking. Even the simple art of walking in and out of the light becomes an artform in these performers’ hands (or rather feet).

The first act represents the rehearsal, while Act Two is the performance. The tone shifts, and the lighting switches from monochrome to technicolour. Blades of light replace the general washes. The costumes are sumptuous, but formal. Ballgowns and suits. Not a flamenco dress in sight, nor a castanet. Eight set pieces follow, but we’re not counting as they seamlessly combine into a continuous flow. Peña, the true master, allows de Morón and Montilla their moments in the spotlight, but when the three guitarists come together the effect is spectacular. There is no leader of the dance. Solos, duets and trios oscillate under Fernando Romero’s choreography. We sometimes feel the footwork and the finger-picking guitar work are in a duel, but there is no competition or conflict. Every element of the performance is orchestrated to perfection, and held together with the gorgeous thread of the evocative Spanish singing voices. Director Jude Kelly, who has worked with Peña for over twenty years, gets to the heart of this feeling of unison.

One would be happy to spend two hours watching the musicians perform alone; or the dancers unaccompanied, or the singers delivering a private concert. But to have all three artforms thrown together like this is exhilarating. An intoxicating blend of tradition and modernity, the old and the new, the mature and the fresh, the talent and the emotion. Quite simply – unmissable.

Tag Archives: Sadler’s Wells Theatre

HAMLET

★★★★

Sadler’s Wells

HAMLET

Sadler’s Wells

★★★★

“a compelling dance piece: erratic and tragic; beautiful and brutal”