The stage production Hamlet Hail to the Thief, which merges Shakespeare's tragedy with Radiohead's sixth album, is set to open at London's Barbican theatre. The show premiered at Aviva Studios in Manchester last year before a run at the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Creative Collaboration
Co-created by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and directors Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett, the production companies have stated that Shakespeare's words and Radiohead's songs 'illuminate one another in thrilling new ways that fuse theatre, music and movement'.
In this interpretation, Elsinore becomes a surveillance state, with Hamlet and Ophelia's awakening to lies and corruption revealed through ghosts and music.
Quotes from the Creators
Thom Yorke expressed his excitement: 'I'm into finally bringing Hamlet Hail to the Thief to London, and to the Barbican of all places. It is fascinating and very strange to me how this came to life and how it has worked. When it revealed itself to us over time, I was shocked, having never had this kind of experience before. I am happy for it to be seen by a wider audience in such an intense space.'
Christine Jones noted: 'Bringing this brutal play into the Barbican's brutalist space seems fated. I feel fiercely fortunate to regroup with these incisive collaborators and push our work further. Both the play and the album continue to speak urgently to the convulsed world we find ourselves in. For me, working on this project is one way to find the ground beneath me.'
Steven Hoggett added: 'The chance to put all the learnings into the next stages of a show is a great privilege. What were guesstimates and hopes become areas we can now push into, knowing we can create more precision. The fact that this is the process that will find its home on stage at the Barbican is truly thrilling. The show will become richer in its elision of music, movement and text which makes this space a perfect home. I myself have sat in the auditorium on many, many occasions and had the boundaries blown apart as to what theatre might be. We're following some giants but also many of my personal inspirations. In this way we hope to continue this dazzling tradition – a commitment to theatre that looks to meet the expectations of a multi-generational audience with an intention to be as radical as we are reverential.'
Cast and Performances
Samuel Blenkin, known for Alien: Earth and Bong Joon-ho's Mickey 17, reprises the title role. Ami Tredrea returns as Ophelia, Paul Hilton plays Claudius and the Ghost, Claudia Harrison is Gertrude, Alby Baldwin appears as Horatio, Brandon Grace as Laertes, and Felipe Pacheco as Guildenstern. Other cast members include Romaya Weaver as Barnarda and Player Queen, and Marienella Phillips as Offstage Swing.
Released in 2003, Hail to the Thief was Radiohead's sixth studio album, featuring singles like 'There There', '2+2=5', and 'Go to Sleep'. Recorded after the September 11 attacks and the War on Terror, it underscored a period of paranoia and anxiety, with dystopian themes incorporating Orwell-inspired lyrics and theatrical, Brothers Grimm-style fables.
Ticket Information
Hamlet Hail to the Thief will run at the Barbican Theatre from October 31, 2026, until January 23, 2027. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10am on Friday, June 26.
