Hamlet video review transcript: Hamlet at the National Theatre has a younger cast to what you’d normally get with Hamlet, and I really like that, because it brings in a different level of energy.
It feels very different to other productions I’ve seen recently. Certainly, Hiran Abeysekera, who plays Hamlet, has a lot of energy.
He’s very youthful, he’s very witty, he’s quite cheeky, he brings out the humour in the part.
The problem with that is in the darker, more contemplative, more tragic moments, you don’t get that contrast so much. It didn’t feel as big an emotional connection to other productions that I’ve seen.
I also felt that he delivered quite a few of the speeches a bit too fast. It was so fast, you couldn’t really tell what he was saying in some places, which I thought was a bit of a shame.
Francesca Mills, who plays Ophelia, is absolutely superb. She just brings a great energy and sassiness to that role. I thought she was absolutely excellent.
Siobhan Redmond is another highlight as the Player King. You could have heard a pin drop when she did her speech. It was like everybody just stopped and listened to her.
It felt like she’s a little bit wasted in what is relatively a small role.
It’s interesting that a production that is very youthful and contemporary – and certainly you get that impression from the trailer and how it’s been how it’s been advertised – that it was still a very long production.
I was expecting it to be short and snappy and cut back and getting rid of extraneous stuff like Fortinbras, but that’s all still in there, which I thought was a bit of a shame, really.
So it’s a good production, but it’s not going to be up there with my favourite ever Hamlets.
Star rating: Three ⭐️⭐️⭐️.
Review: Hamlet, National Theatre
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Robert Hastie
Starring Hiran Abeysekera, Francesca Mills, Siobhan Redmond, Geoffrey Streatfeild, Alistair Petrie and Ayesha Dharker
Running time: 2 hours and 50 minutes with an interval
Booking until 22 November, 2025.
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