Hamnet ★★★ Garrick Theatre | Sep 30, 2023 - Feb 17, 2024


In her novel of 2020, Maggie O'Farrell reimagined Shakespeare's matrimonial and family life, making his wife, Anne (or Agnes as she is known here), a central figure in his creative imagination. Raised on a sheep farm, Agnes is presented as an illiterate embodiment of the natural sphere who is in touch with its spirits. Her world clearly stands in contrast to that of her suitor. His father is a tradesman with aspirations to be a gentleman, while Shakespeare himself is a Latin tutor who will become a playwright. The suggestion is that Agnes brings to the would-be wordsmith the fascination with the natural and supernatural world that pervades his works. Similarly, Act II posits that the loss of their only son, Hamnet, becomes the inspiration for the Bard's penning of Hamlet. The first act of the play focusses on the unhappy family lives of the young couple and their courtship, concluding with the birth of their son and his twin sister, Judith. Unfortunately, the flirtation and development of this love story isn't that engaging, and one wonders if it would have held any interest if it weren't for the fact that it is cast as the story of Shakespeare, and as an insight into his little-known personal life. The second act contrasting Shakespeare's life in London with his wife's struggles to raise a family proves more interesting, but also seemed somewhat superficial. The psychological connection of the two worlds and the two principal characters traumatised by their son's death didn't really resonate. The issue may be that the subtle layering and development of character and relationships that characterised O'Farrell's novel doesn't really translate to the stage. Nevertheless, this is a show that will definitely appeal to those who wonder about the genesis of genius, and the biography of England's greatest playwright.

Rated: ★★★

Reviewed by J.C.
Photo by Manuel Harlan © RSC

Want to save on tickets? See our Tips page.

When, Where, Getting there:
Map & Location: 2 Charing Cross Rd, London WC2H 0HH, UK

Most Popular

St. Martin in-the-fields: Lunchtime Concerts ★★★★ FREE

Image
Maybe the best musical value in London. The lunchtime concerts at St. Martin's are always a wonderful way to escape the hustle and bustle that is London and the sensory overload that is Trafalgar Square. This is a beautiful setting with great acoustics, and a church pew hard enough to make sure you don't nod off. Reviewed by J.C.  Our score:    ☆☆☆☆  WHEN, WHERE, GETTING THERE: Mon & Fri: 1 pm - 1:45 pm ( occasionally Tues & Thurs)  St. Martin in-the-fields, Trafalgar Square Nearest tube: Charing Cross https://www.stmartin-in-the-fields.org/whats-on
Full Details »

Good Night, Oscar ★★★★ Barbican Centre | Jul 31 - Sep 21, 2025

Image
To say Oscar Levant was a complex individual is probably the ultimate understatement. Possibly best remembered for his witticisms, the tortured comic and classical pianist who once said "There's a fine line between genius and insanity. I have erased this line" was a consummate actor, musician and raconteur who suffered from mental illness and drug addiction. It was Levant's ironic self-awareness, catchy turn of phrase and brutal honesty that made him a favourite guest on the 1950s late-night American talk show hosted by Jack Paar. As outrageous and neurotic as he was talented, Levant attracted an audience to Paar's show that he was happy to garner even if his guest made the corporate bosses nervous. As Levant, Sean Hayes simply commands the stage. This is a performance that is a theatrical tour de force . Indeed, Hayes brilliantly channels the pain of the serious artist always cast as a comic sidekick - the man haunted by the ghost of George Gershwin and whose ow...
Full Details »

Rambert Dance in Peaky Blinders: The Redemption of Thomas Shelby ★★★ Sadler's Wells Theatre | August 5 - 16, 2025

Image
For everyone who loved the television series, there is now an opportunity to see a dance version of Tommy Shelby's journey from the trenches of WWI to the criminal underground of Birmingham. Peaky Blinders , the TV production, stretched across six seasons and had thirty-six episodes, so this is certainly an epic tale. Wisely, Rambert Dance has decided to focus on what is billed as a prequel to that story. Nevertheless, it is the narrative aspect of this dance drama that is probably the least satisfying. The narration intoned by series regular Benjamin Zephaniah seems superfluous, and its introduction of so many characters who are underdeveloped will probably prove simply confusing for the uninitiated. Indeed, the personalities of Tommy's psycho brother, Arthur, and his pugnacious Aunt Polly never really manage to establish themselves, and the love story with Grace ultimately doesn't generate the necessary chemistry. The strongest part of the Rambert Dance version is its ev...
Full Details »

Every Brilliant Thing (with Lenny Henry) ★★★ @sohoplace | Aug 1 - Nov 8, 2025

Image
Every Brilliant Thing tells the story of a youngster who must come to terms with a bipolar parent who first attempts suicide when the child is seven. While the boy's father retreats from this painful and confusing situation into a world of silence and music, the child responds by starting to list all the things that are good about life. It is an amusing and touching strategy which the boy continues as he grows older. This is a story about vulnerability and coping with pain, and Lenny Henry does a splendid job of conveying the emotions of the youngster growing up in a dysfunctional home. Indeed, when he is portraying the child, adolescent, and adult affected by this situation the characterisation is completely credible. The format of this drama, however, is interactive and the audience is called upon to participate by playing various roles in the boy's story. It is an experience which brings audience members into the child's world and, for all except the most extroverted, a...
Full Details »

A Role To Die For ★★★★ Marylebone Theatre | Jul 26 - Aug 30, 2025

Image
In the world of James Bond, image is everything. So when producer, Deborah, has to choose a new actor to take on the iconic role there can't be a whiff of scandal. But then, just when she's about to announce her selection and publicly sign the contract, something comes up. Although shaken, Deborah is now stirred into action. She is determined to find a new Bond before the signing. That's how all this extremely enjoyable chaos begins. As the ruthless and hilarious producer, Tanya Franks puts in a wonderfully satisfying performance. The tiger mom and hard-nosed business woman is a character we all enjoy as long as she stays on stage, and Franks plays it to perfection. As her partner and frequent dupe, Malcolm, Philip Bretherton also gets it just right, and Harry Goodson-Bevan does a fine turn as her socially conscious gay son. The timing of the whole cast is impeccable, but in the end, it all comes down to Franks, and she carries it off beautifully. We might sympathise with D...
Full Details »

The Daughter of Time ★★★ Charing CrossTheatre | Jul 18 - Sep 13, 2025

Image
For over five hundred years, the mystery of the princes in the tower has fascinated the public. Historians and such eminent writers as Shakespeare and Sir Thomas More have long attributed the disappearance of 11-year-old Edward V and his 9-year-old brother Richard to their usurper uncle, Richard III. But, in 1951, Josephine Tey, in her novel The Daughter of Time proposed a different theory, and history buffs were more than intrigued. This dramatisation of Tey's book will probably be equally interesting for that group, but whether it will have a general appeal is another question. Tey propounds her original hypothesis for the historical whodunit in the context of a love story which is based upon the Shakespearean antecedent of Much Ado About Nothing . Confirmed bachelor and detective Alan Grant is in hospital with a broken leg. He is bored and cranky, and his lady friend, the actress Marta Hallard, introduces him to the mystery of the princes in the tower in order to distract him. ...
Full Details »

Brigadoon ★★★★ Regent's Park Open Air Theatre | Aug 2 - Sep 20, 2025

Image
It has been 36 years since Lerner and Loewe's Brigadoon last appeared in London. Finally, the story of the Scottish village that only appears once every 100 years makes a lovely return to the Open Air Theatre in a new production adapted by Rona Munro. In this version, two WWII airmen stumble across the enchanted village on a very special wedding day. Brigadoon is an uplifting story designed to put current crises in a historical perspective and to celebrate the enduring quality of love. Its message is particularly apt to our present situation and its rich, melodic score soars with magic and optimism. As Tommy and Fiona, Louis Gaunt and Danielle Fiamanya, the lovers who come from different worlds, both bring extraordinary voices to their parts. Their duets, like "From This Day On," are absolutely thrilling and her voice soars with emotion. The pair's rendition of "There But For You Go I" is also unforgettable, but this outstanding moment is accompanied by cho...
Full Details »

Inter Alia ★★★★★ National Theatre | Jul 10 - Sep 13, 2025

Image
As a judge, Jessica is a rockstar. She sees through the barristers' tricks and their latent, or blatant, sexism, and she always has a counter move. However, as a mother, Jessica isn't quite so sure of herself. She has a lot of anxiety about her parenting of Harry, which she sometimes feels she is doing on her own, and then there is the guilt born of balancing the demands of work and home. For the first half of Inter Alia , Jessica's juggling act is largely played for laughs, but at a critical point her two worlds collide, and she must face questions about which is a priority - mother or officer of the court. She is also forced to question the binaries that have ruled her life as a judge: victim vs villain, innocent vs guilty, legal vs moral. Suzie Miller has written a challenging, and often very funny, play that confronts some important issues. Parenting in a connected world, and in one in which traditional roles have been only nominally abandoned, can be both overwhelming ...
Full Details »

Saving Mozart ★★ The Other Palace | Jul 28 - Aug 30, 2025

Image
In this new musical the life of Mozart gets the Six treatment as the composer's biography becomes the thin thread on which to hang a number of pop songs. The young musical prodigy's issue with his overbearing father, Leopold, is referenced. Mozart's socially unacceptable marriage to his love Constanze and the rivalry with the composer Salieri, are also introduced, as is his chronic problem of indebtedness. The relationship with his talented sister, Nannerl, who is denied a career because of her gender, is apparently intended as a main plotline. However, all these complex issues get short shrift, as the emphasis of this show is on presenting the next pulsating production number and its club-style choreography. Indeed, apart from some pretty simplistic psychologising, there is no real attempt to unravel the mystery of Mozart's genius or his character. For the most part, this story has to be narrated rather than shown as there is a need to get on to the next song. The cos...
Full Details »

The Gathered Leaves ★★★★★ Park Theatre | Aug 13 - Sep 20, 2025

Image
Andrew Keatley's The Gathered Leaves opens with two boys playing a game in which they are re-enacting a scene from an episode of Doctor Who, 'The Edge of Destruction.' The scene is about the need to apologise, and the value of thinking before acting. Thus, the theme of the play is set and the game motif, which continues throughout, is introduced. During the course of the Pennington family's Easter reunion, which is also the celebration of the patriarch William's birthday, they will play Trivial Pursuit, Backgammon, and Uno. All of these diversions reflect the fierce competition, arbitrary rules and need for survival strategies which characterise life among the three generations of Penningtons and which are on display throughout. However, as the squabbles and secrets that define this family are gradually exposed, interestingly it turns out that the game the boys have chosen to play also serves as a refuge from the realities of their family life. This latest producti...
Full Details »

The City Life Magazine | Reviews & Ratings