Hamlet
30 September 2025
National Theatre
4.0 out of 5.0 stars
The National Theatre’s current production of Hamlet, running at the Lyttleton until 22 November, is a razor sharp, modern take on the classic. Robert Hastie has quite a few tricks up his sleeve in directing this fantastically entertaining staging, featuring Hiran Abeysekera in the titular role, and Francesca Mills as a clever, sparkling Ophelia.
The stage is grand and gorgeous, a huge white panelled ball room covered in a delicately painted mural reminiscent of baroque art, featuring scenes of war with Danish and Polish flags, sprawling wooded landscape, and nude women. Throughout the play, lighting is designed to gorgeously interact with the mural, changing dramatically depending on the time of day and mood portrayed within each scene. It’s a wonderfully creative and evocative design that gives a very traditional look to a modern staging. The play within the play in the second act is dominated by thick red curains falling across the stage, which the small platform the players perform on is decked out in Lloyd references, jabbing at the stripped back production style expertly.
This production feels young and energetic, with an Ophelia who feels more dynamic and sassy despite an unchanged character and fate, a whirlwind of a young woman storming across the stage, bringing joy and levity to an often so dreary and tame character. Hamlet is wild and mischievous, revelling in his plans and suspicions and full of conviction. Meanwhile, Tessa Wong’s Horatio is a masterclass in embracing a character’s flaws and turning them into strengths, a brilliant accompaniment to Hamlet’s wildness.
This Hamlet manages to blend the traditional with contemporary references, presenting a buzzing version of the play that revels in movement and emotion, an innovative and modern production that yet stays true to its source material.
