There’s something electric in the air at the National Theatre right now. Robert Hastie’s sharp and stylish new Hamlet captures the timeless anguish of Shakespeare’s tragic prince and reframes with extraordinary power and clarity. We travelled to London, and the wonderful Southbank, to watch the new Hamlet at the National Theatre and found a production that will enthral the whole family.
👩💻 About the author – Nichola is a family travel expert and has written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, Lonely Planet Magazine and Wanderlust, amongst many others. She’s spent over a decade travelling the world with her children, finding the best places for you to explore too.
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Hiran Abeysekera in Hamlet at the National Theatre
At the centre of it all is Hiran Abeysekera, making a much-anticipated return to the National after his Olivier Award-winning turn in Life of Pi. As Hamlet, Abeysekera is magnetic. He brings both wit and wounded fragility to the role, oscillating between dark humour and heart-stopping grief.
This is a Hamlet who questions everything, not only the corruption around him but the very essence of himself. Abeysekera’s performance burns with energy and intelligence, almost willing the audience to respond to his reflections, and it’s impossible to take your eyes off him.
Francesca Mills
Opposite him, Francesca Mills’ Ophelia is revelatory. Her presence lights up the stage. She’s playful, passionate and heartbreakingly vulnerable. Mills finds both the spark and the sorrow in Ophelia, creating a performance that feels deeply alive and tragically inevitable. Her scenes with Abeysekera are some of the production’s most affecting moments, their connection delicate and devastating.
Geoffrey Streatfeild
Geoffrey Streatfeild’s Polonius wonderfully steals scenes whenever he appears. Long a master of subtle comedy, Streatfeild delivers a performance that balances wit with warmth, never letting the humour slip into caricature.
His Polonius is fussy and pompous, yes, but also deeply human — a father torn between duty and affection, whose well-meaning meddling becomes part of the tragedy’s slow unravelling. In Streatfeild’s hands, the character’s use of language becomes a source of both laughter and pathos, and his eventual fall carries real emotional weight.
Staging
Hastie, who also directed the acclaimed Standing at the Sky’s Edge, brings a contemporary sensibility to the staging that feels fresh without ever straying from the emotional truth of the play. There’s a darkly comic edge here too — a reminder that Hamlet’s world of privilege and performance is as absurd as it is dangerous.
Ben Stones’ set and costume design are sleek and modern, a world of marble floors and mirrored surfaces that reflect both the grandeur and the moral decay of Elsinore. Sound designer Alexandra Faye Braithwaite and composer Richard Taylor heighten the tension beautifully, with a score that pulses beneath the action.
Other characters in Hamlet at the National Theatre
The wider cast brings depth and nuance to this world of betrayal and broken loyalties. Ayesha Dharker’s Gertrude is dignified yet haunted, caught between love and loss. Alistair Petrie’s Claudius is controlled and chillingly self-assured as a man whose guilt seeps through the cracks.
By the time Hamlet meets his inevitable fate, the sense of loss feels urgently present. For all its style and innovation, it never loses sight of the humanity at its core. Abeysekera’s performance is extraordinary, Francesca Mills is luminous, and together they anchor a production that feels destined to be remembered.
Taking kids to Hamlet at the National Theatre
We took our 14 and 16-year-old to this production and they loved it. From the eery ghostly scenes to the mesmerising Ophelia, they were captivated. It’s one they’ve been talking about ever since.
Hamlet is at the Lyttelton theatre at the National Theatre until 22 November. You can get your tickets at nationaltheatre.org.uk
