WAITING FOR HAMLET
Theatre at the Tabard
★★★★
“theatre that makes you laugh whilst quietly dismantling your assumptions about power and worth”
At a moment of such profound turbulence for the House of Windsor, it’s difficult to imagine a more timely play than Waiting for Hamlet. David Visick’s award-winning comedy asks precisely those uncomfortable questions about social rank, worth and self-deception that must be keeping our current king awake at night.
The old King Hamlet (Tim Marriott) has arrived in Purgatory convinced he’s earned a place in Heaven through what he calls the “King Thing” (invading countries, winning duels, and whatnot). His companion in limbo is Yorick the court jester (Nicholas Collett), who has different ideas about the late monarch’s qualifications for eternal glory. What follows is a circuitous dialogue about the human condition. These two old fools attempt to break the monotony of Purgatory by getting into the “Big H” (Heaven or Hell, either would do). There is no such escape.
For those of us who’ve yet to shuffle off the mortal coil, the application of this to living inside our own closely drawn imaginary cages couldn’t be clearer.
Tim Marriott, who directs as well as stars, brings nuanced comic timing to the deluded king. His performance captures the pomposity and vulnerability of a man who believes rank makes right. Veteran RSC actor Nicholas Collett matches him brilliantly as Yorick, whose wisdom cuts through royal pretension. These are accomplished performers who make the dialogue crackle with energy.
Visick’s script won the Kenneth Branagh New Writing Award. It echoes Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead and Samuel Beckett’s Waiting for Godot in its exploration of existential stalemate. Those plays examine helplessness. Waiting for Hamlet studies self-deception. Yorick sees that the King’s achievements are simply violence dressed in ermine. The King does not.
The double-hander script is perfect for the small venue and low budget. The two props, the crown and the jester’s hat, are stripped of their significance as the play’s sharp commentary on the randomness of power and status shows how we have all been fooled.
Marriott’s direction keeps a laser-sharp focus on the performances, trusting the writing and his actors to carry the weight of the play’s philosophical enquiry. Trevor Datson’s sound design and original theme enhance the atmosphere without overwhelming the dialogue. Charlie Stace’s lighting design reinforces the characters’ metaphysical limbo.
The play is also very funny, particularly for Hamlet fans. This is theatre that makes you laugh whilst quietly dismantling your assumptions about power and worth. The play asks what happens when someone who believes status validates existence discovers that death is the ultimate leveller. For a nation watching its own royal family navigate crisis after crisis, these questions feel urgently relevant.
Very well acted and genuinely funny, Visick has created a prequel to Shakespeare’s tragedy that stands on its own. It is a study in how we fool ourselves, how rank corrupts judgment, and the pointlessness of earthly achievements measured against eternity. Highly recommended for anyone seeking theatre that poses the important questions as much as it entertains.
WAITING FOR HAMLET
Theatre at the Tabard
Reviewed on 19th March 2026
by Elizabeth Botsford
Photography by Matt Hunter
