Robert Hastie’s contemporary Hamlet arrives on cinema screens with wit, scale and an unusually playful Prince of Denmark. Hiran Abeysekera makes Shakespeare’s tragic hero restless, funny and unpredictable rather than conventionally brooding. This NT Live Hamlet review examines whether that approach works beyond its immediate comic energy.
The production was captured at London’s National Theatre after its 2025 Lyttelton Theatre run. Abeysekera leads a strong ensemble featuring Francesca Mills, Alistair Petrie, Geoffrey Streatfeild and Ayesha Dharker. For UK audiences, the cinema format offers an accessible way to experience this distinctive staging.
The short verdict: Robert Hastie’s Hamlet is stylish, accessible and often surprisingly funny. Hiran Abeysekera brings speed and mischievous energy to the prince, while Francesca Mills delivers a striking Ophelia. Some emotional moments lose weight, but the production remains an entertaining introduction to Shakespeare’s tragedy.
| Key detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Production | Hamlet |
| Writer | William Shakespeare |
| Director | Robert Hastie |
| Hamlet | Hiran Abeysekera |
| Ophelia | Francesca Mills |
| Claudius | Alistair Petrie |
| Gertrude | Ayesha Dharker |
| Polonius | Geoffrey Streatfeild |
| Venue captured | Lyttelton Theatre, National Theatre, London |
| Cinema release | National Theatre Live |
| UK cinema release | January 2026 |
| Approximate running time | Around three hours including interval |
| BBFC rating | 12A |
| Style | Contemporary, comic, visually theatrical |
| Verdict | Energetic and accessible, though sometimes emotionally light |
NT Live Hamlet Review: What Makes This Production Different?
This production establishes its intentions quickly. Hastie favours movement, humour and contemporary behaviour instead of treating every famous line as sacred ceremony. The result feels approachable even when Shakespeare’s language becomes dense.
That choice matters because Hamlet can become weighed down by its reputation. Audiences often arrive expecting solemn speeches, philosophical anguish and a prince dressed permanently in mourning. Abeysekera refuses to stay inside that familiar picture.
His Hamlet uses jokes as both entertainment and defence. His thoughts appear to race ahead of his ability to control them. That gives the character nervous energy, although some reflective passages pass faster than they should.
The production therefore works best when speed reveals character rather than obscuring language. Slower moments allow Abeysekera’s grief to emerge beneath his humour. Those quieter passages provide the emotional contrast that the busiest scenes sometimes lack.
Hiran Abeysekera Makes Hamlet Quick, Funny and Unpredictable
Abeysekera won an Olivier Award for his performance in Life of Pi. Here, his physical confidence becomes central to his interpretation of Shakespeare’s prince. He moves through Elsinore like someone constantly testing everyone around him.
His comedy is rarely separate from Hamlet’s anger. A joke can become an attack before another character understands what has happened. This unpredictability makes his exchanges with Polonius, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern particularly entertaining.
The famous soliloquies receive a less reverential treatment. Abeysekera sometimes delivers thoughts rapidly, as though Hamlet cannot stop his own mind. That approach feels psychologically plausible, but important language can lose space to resonate.
This is not the familiar portrait of a permanently sombre prince. It is closer to someone using performance to manage grief, suspicion and growing isolation. Whether viewers embrace that interpretation will shape their response to the production.
Francesca Mills Gives Ophelia Real Presence
Francesca Mills provides the production’s strongest emotional counterweight. Her Ophelia begins with warmth, confidence, and enough personality to exist beyond Hamlet’s story. That foundation makes her later suffering considerably more painful.
Mills also benefits from the production’s interest in the Polonius family. Geoffrey Streatfeild finds comedy in Polonius without turning him into a disposable fool. Their family relationship feels affectionate before events destroy it.
Ophelia’s breakdown therefore has consequences beyond theatrical spectacle. Mills shows a person losing the relationships that previously gave her stability. Her performance gives the tragedy some of the emotional depth missing elsewhere.
British theatre has a long history of actors reshaping Shakespeare for new audiences. Wordify’s feature on Sam Wanamaker’s work and legacy offers useful context for that tradition. His campaign for Shakespeare’s Globe changed how London audiences could encounter these plays.
The Supporting Cast Keeps Elsinore Lively
Alistair Petrie avoids presenting Claudius as a simple storybook villain. His king appears controlled, socially capable and aware of the demands surrounding his position. That restraint makes his guilt more interesting when cracks finally appear.
Geoffrey Streatfeild’s Polonius brings some of the evening’s easiest laughter. His familiar advice feels like material his children have heard countless times before. The comedy also establishes a believable family dynamic before the play becomes darker.
Ayesha Dharker plays Gertrude with greater restraint. That makes the character less dominant than several figures around her. The approach suits this production’s focus, although some crucial family confrontations could carry more emotional force.
Viewers interested in British screen and stage performers can also read Wordify’s Jim Carter career guide. Carter’s career provides another example of the close relationship between British theatre, television and cinema. That relationship also helps explain NT Live’s appeal.
Ben Stones’ Elsinore Looks Excellent on the Cinema Screen
Ben Stones’ set gives the production an imposing visual identity. Elsinore feels wealthy, formal and large enough to make private grief seem dangerously exposed. Modern clothing keeps the characters recognisable without reducing the story to everyday realism.
The play-within-the-play sequence uses theatrical space especially well. It creates an audience inside the production while cinema viewers become another observing audience. That layered arrangement suits a story obsessed with watching, performance and hidden motives.
Cinema close-ups also reveal details that distant theatre seats might miss. Small reactions become meaningful during court scenes and confrontations. The filmed format therefore does more than record what happened on stage.
This makes the production a strong example of NT Live’s strengths. Cinema cannot reproduce the atmosphere of sharing a room with actors. It can, however, create its own intimacy through framing and close observation.
Does the Humour Weaken the Tragedy?
Comedy has always existed inside Hamlet, so making the play funny is hardly a radical invention. The question is whether humour strengthens the darker material surrounding it. In this production, the answer varies from scene to scene.
The lighter approach makes the first half move quickly. Polonius, Hamlet and the returning university friends create a court filled with comic friction. This gives newcomers several easy entry points into a long Shakespeare tragedy.
The cost appears later, when deaths and betrayals demand a sharper emotional shift. Some relationships have not accumulated enough dramatic weight before tragedy arrives. The final consequences can therefore feel less devastating than expected.
That problem does not erase the production’s achievements. It instead reveals the risk behind its central idea. A fast, comic Hamlet needs equally persuasive stillness when the jokes finally stop.
NT Live Hamlet: Strengths and Weaknesses
| Area | What works | What may divide viewers |
|---|---|---|
| Hamlet | Energetic, witty and physically expressive | Soliloquies can feel rushed |
| Ophelia | Warm, vivid and emotionally affecting | Her story still has limited space |
| Polonius | Excellent comic timing and family chemistry | Comedy may soften later tragedy |
| Claudius | Restrained and more complex than a stock villain | Less openly threatening at first |
| Direction | Fast, accessible and inventive | Emotional transitions can feel abrupt |
| Design | Handsome, flexible and cinema-friendly | Spectacle occasionally dominates |
| NT Live filming | Close-ups capture small reactions | It cannot recreate live theatre atmosphere |
The production’s strongest qualities are clarity, humour and performance energy. Its principal weakness is an uneven balance between comedy and emotional consequence. Viewers seeking a traditional, introspective interpretation may find the approach unexpectedly restless.
Those preferences also affect whether the three-hour running time feels demanding. The brisk staging prevents much of the evening from dragging. Yet the faster pace occasionally removes breathing room from Shakespeare’s most reflective writing.
Is NT Live Hamlet Worth Watching?
Yes, particularly for viewers who want Shakespeare performed with personality rather than museum-like reverence. Abeysekera offers a recognisable young man whose humour hides grief and growing instability. Mills adds the emotional force needed to keep that experiment grounded.
Experienced Shakespeare audiences may disagree with some choices. That disagreement is part of the production’s appeal because Hastie commits to a clear interpretation. This is not a neutral staging designed to offend nobody.
Newcomers should also find the story comparatively easy to follow. Modern dress, physical comedy and clear character relationships reduce some barriers around the text. The cinema presentation further helps by bringing expressions and reactions close to the viewer.
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Who Will Enjoy This Hamlet Most?
This version should suit viewers who appreciate contemporary Shakespeare and strong physical performances. It is also approachable for people encountering the full tragedy for the first time. The humour provides breathing space around the play’s murder, grief and moral uncertainty.
Traditionalists may miss a slower, more philosophical treatment of the prince. Abeysekera rarely asks audiences to admire the poetry from a distance. His performance wants the words to feel like thoughts happening now.
That choice gives the production its identity. It also explains why reactions can differ sharply between viewers. The same speed that feels exciting in one scene can feel hurried in another.
Final Verdict
Robert Hastie’s production succeeds by refusing to treat Hamlet like an untouchable monument. It lets the play be funny, messy, and youthful before its consequences become unavoidable. That freedom creates an evening with genuine personality.
Abeysekera is an engaging centre, while Mills gives the production its deepest emotional impact. Streatfeild and Petrie add memorable supporting performances. Ben Stones’ design also translates effectively from the Lyttelton stage to cinema.
This is not a definitive Hamlet, and it does not need to be one. Its emotional depth sometimes trails behind its comic invention. Still, it offers an energetic reason to revisit a play audiences may think they already know.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the NT Live Hamlet review verdict?
Our NT Live Hamlet review finds Robert Hastie’s production energetic, funny and visually confident. Hiran Abeysekera gives the prince a distinctive comic restlessness. Francesca Mills provides the strongest emotional performance as Ophelia.
The production is less successful when rapid pacing weakens reflective scenes. Some tragic relationships could carry greater weight before the final act. Even so, the interpretation remains accessible and consistently interesting.
Who plays Hamlet in the latest National Theatre Live production?
Hiran Abeysekera plays Hamlet in Robert Hastie’s production. He is known for his Olivier Award-winning work in Life of Pi. His interpretation combines physical comedy, nervous speed and flashes of genuine grief.
Who plays Ophelia?
Francesca Mills plays Ophelia. Her performance brings warmth and independence to the character before the tragedy intensifies. She becomes one of the production’s clearest emotional anchors.
How long is NT Live Hamlet?
The cinema presentation runs for roughly three hours, including an interval. Exact listings can vary slightly between venues. UK viewers should check their cinema’s stated running time before travelling.
Is NT Live Hamlet suitable for Shakespeare beginners?
Yes, this is one of the production’s strongest qualities. The modern setting and comic energy make relationships relatively easy to understand. Cinema close-ups also help viewers follow reactions during Shakespeare’s denser exchanges.
Is NT Live Hamlet the Benedict Cumberbatch production?
No, this review covers Robert Hastie’s newer production starring Hiran Abeysekera. Benedict Cumberbatch starred in Lyndsey Turner’s separate 2015 Barbican production. Both reached cinema audiences through National Theatre Live.
