Hamlet Hail to the Thief, which merges Shakespeare’s iconic tragedy with Radiohead’s sixth album, is set to open at the Barbican theatre in London.
Following runs at Manchester’s Aviva Studios and the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon, the production, co-created by Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke and directors Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett, sees Elsinore reimagined as a surveillance state, with Hamlet and Ophelia’s awakening to lies and corruption revealed through ghosts and music.
The production companies have said that Shakespeare’s words and Radiohead’s songs “illuminate one another in thrilling new ways that fuse theatre, music and movement”.
Yorke said: “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.”
Director Christine Jones said: “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, also a director, 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.”
Samuel Blenkin, known for his roles in Alien: Earth and Bong Joon-ho’s Mickey 17, will reprise the title role of Hamlet. Ami Tredrea returns as Ophelia, while Paul Hilton takes on the dual roles of Claudius and the Ghost.
The cast also features Claudia Harrison as Gertrude, Alby Baldwin as Horatio, Brandon Grace as Laertes, and Felipe Pacheco as Guildenstern. Romaya Weaver will appear as Barnarda and Player Queen, with Marienella Phillips as Offstage Swing.
Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief, released in 2003, was the band’s sixth studio album, featuring singles such as “There There”, “2+2=5”, and “Go to Sleep”.
Recorded in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror, the album captured a period of paranoia, fear, and anxiety, with dystopian themes incorporating Orwell-inspired lyrics and theatrical, Brothers Grimm-style fables.
Hamlet Hail to the Thief is scheduled to run at the Barbican Theatre from 31 October 2026 until 23 January 2027. Tickets will be available to the public from 10am on Friday 26 June.
