The full cast and creative team have been announced for the upcoming world premiere of Hamlet Hail to the Thief. This frenetic adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet, haunted by Radiohead’s celebrated 2003 album Hail to the Thief, will open at Aviva Studios, home of Factory International, Manchester from 27 April to 18 May 2025, before transferring to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford Upon Avon from 4 June to 28 June 2025.
Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and celebrated directors Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones have joined forces for this unique production. Samuel Blenkin will play Hamlet, alongside Ami Tredrea as Ophelia. Paul Hilton will take on the roles of Claudius and Ghost, with Claudia Harrison as Gertrude.
The cast also includes Annabel Baldwin as Horatio, Brandon Grace as Laertes, James Cooney as Rosencrantz, Felipe Pacheco as Guildenstern, Tom Peters as Polonius, and Romaya Weaver as Gravedigger. The ensemble is completed by Daniel Davids, Kieran Garland, and Marienella Phillips as Off-Stage Swings.
The band will feature Ed Begley, Tom Brady, Joe Downard, Shane Forbes, Megan Hill, Tom Knowles, and Adam Martin. Choreographer Jess Williams, an associate director and creative practitioner at Frantic Assembly, has also been announced.
Hamlet Hail to the Thief is adapted from Shakespeare’s Hamlet by Christine Jones with Steven Hoggett, directed by Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones, with music by Radiohead, orchestrations by Thom Yorke, scenography by AMP featuring Sadra Tehrani, arrangements by Justin Levine, music supervision by Tom Brady, choreography by Jess Williams, sound design by Gareth Fry, projection design by Will Duke, lighting design by Jessica Hung Han Yun, costume design by Lisa Duncan, casting by Charlotte Sutton CDG for the RSC, with text consultancy and dramaturgy from Ayanna Thompson.
In this fast-paced distillation of the play, Shakespeare’s words and Radiohead’s album illuminate one another in thrilling new ways. The music becomes a critical part of the narrative, with the deconstructed album performed live onstage by a cast of 20 musicians and actors.
Elsinore has a new ruler, and hectic runs in the blood of its citizens. Hamlet Hail to the Thief centres on Hamlet and Ophelia’s awakening to the lies and corruption in Denmark, gradually revealed by ghosts and music. Paranoia reigns, and no one is spared a tragic unraveling.
Listings and ticket information can be found here.
