Hamlet – National Theatre, London

Writer: William Shakespeare

Adaptor: Jude Christian

Director: Ellie Hurt

Shakespeare’s Hamlet is, undeniably, a masterpiece. It has everything and then some. It is dramatic, tragic and, in its own way, delightfully over the top. That said, it, and the rest of Shakespeare’s work is not for all. So, can the bard engage a young modern audience?

Certainly, Hamlet has everything you could wish for: death, betrayal, murder, corruption, revenge and more. It’s a powerhouse of a narrative that Jude Christian has reworked for a primary school audience. In doing so, she has taken a near-3-hour play and turned it into an hour-long juggernaut of storytelling.

This is a Greatest Hits of Hamlet. The cast is reduced to the key characters and the story focuses on the Hamlet’s quest to avenge his father’s murder. The key speeches and phrases are there, incorporated in a melee of Shakespearean and modern English. There’s a host of other contemporary nods from modern dress to audience participation, though kicking off with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern (Kathrine Payne and Curtis Callier) as nightclub MCs introducing the cast to a backing track of You Can’t Touch This must be one of the most interesting openings of Hamlet ever.

The cast, overall, deliver solid performances balancing the new with the old and driving the truncated story. Interestingly, with the original text entwined with modern text and song, there’s a clarity in the annunciation of the Shakespearean text, enabling the language to land more effectively and clearly than it often does in traditional productions.

Giving the bard relevance in 21^st century means that his work will need to be reworked and reimagined. Purists will probably recoil in horror and fans of dramatic theatre will roll their eyes in dismay. However, for the target audience, this hits the spot perfectly. The blend of Shakespearean English, modern speak, contemporary clothing, pop songs, audience participation and the heavily abridged script works. It gives the audience all the highlights of Hamlet, without diluting the core narrative too much.

It’s punchy and impactful giving you all the highlights at breakneck speed. This is Hamlet for the TikTok generation but will engage audiences of all ages.

Runs until 28 March 2023