Hamlet Hail to the Thief Opens at Barbican Theatre on 31 October 2026

Hamlet Hail to the Thief opens at London’s Barbican Theatre on October 31 and runs through January 23, 2027. The production marks the show’s London premiere after sold-out runs at the Royal Shakespeare Company and Aviva Studios last year. Samuel Blenkin reprises the title role.

Ami Tredrea returns as Ophelia. Paul Hilton performs as Claudius and the Ghost. Claudia Harrison plays Gertrude. Alby Baldwin appears as Horatio. Brandon Grace takes the role of Laertes. Felipe Pacheco performs as Guildenstern.

Romaya Weaver plays Barnarda and Player Queen. Marienella Phillips serves as Offstage Swing. Further casting remains to be announced. Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones co-create and co-direct the production.

Thom Yorke reworks material from Radiohead’s 2003 album Hail to the Thief. A company of musicians and actors performs the songs live onstage, placing Shakespeare’s text in dialogue with the music throughout. The production is presented by ATC Music Group, Vivek J.

Tiwary for TEG+, and Nate Koch. “I’m into finally bringing ‘Hamlet Hail to The Thief’ to London, and to the Barbican of all places,” Thom Yorke said. “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. ” 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.

Hail to the Thief was recorded in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks and the subsequent War on Terror. Radiohead returned to the stage last year after a seven-year hiatus for a series of sold-out arena residencies across Europe.