Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
Booking and details
Public booking opens at midday on Thursday 15 May
‘The play’s the thing’
Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. Are you watching closely?
Trapped between duty and doubt, surrounded by power and privilege, young Prince Hamlet dares to ask the ultimate question – you know the one.
Olivier Award-winner Hiran Abeysekera (The Father and the Assassin, Life of Pi) is Hamlet in this fearless, contemporary take on Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.
National Theatre Deputy Artistic Director, Robert Hastie (Standing at the Sky’s Edge, Operation Mincemeat) directs this sharp, stylish and darkly funny reimagining.
Get pre-sale access to tickets
Members book first for our new shows, including Bacchae, Hamlet and The Playboy of the Western World.
Supporting Cast and Patron booking from Tuesday 6 May
Member and Member Plus booking from Thursday 8 May
Suitability
Please note: This production contains themes of grief and death, including suicide and the loss of a parent, depictions of madness, violence, and coercive behaviour.
Supporters
This production is supported by the Bagri Foundation, Marcia B. Whitaker, and The Polonsky Foundation.
Cast includes
Hiran Abeysekera
For the National: The Father and the Assassin, Behind the Beautiful Forevers and War Horse at the Proms (also for the BBC and Royal Albert Hall
Phil Cheadle
Marcellus / Understudy Claudius
Phil Cheadle
Ayesha Dharker
For the National: The Father and the Assassin, Pericles and The Ramayana
Tom Glenister
For the National Theatre: Dear Octopus and Dear England
Hari Mackinnon
Rosencrantz / Understudy Hamlet
Hari Mackinnon
Francesca Mills
Ophelia
Francesca Mills
Alistair Petrie
Claudius
Alistair Petrie
Siobhán Redmond
First Player
Siobhán Redmond
Geoffrey Streatfeild
Polonius
Geoffrey Streatfeild
Artistic team
Director
Set and Costume Designer
Ben Stones
Ben Stones
Ben Stones’ designs span theatre, ballet, comedy, fashion and hip-hop dance.
Lighting Designer
Jessica Hung Han Yun
Jessica Hung Han Yun
For the National Theatre: The LeftBehinds
Sound Designer
Alexandra Faye Braithwaite
Alexandra Faye Braithwaite
For the National Theatre: Underdog: The Other Other Brontë (also Northern Stage)
Casting Director
Alastair Coomer CDG
Alastair Coomer CDG
For the National Theatre: over 50 productions including Alterations, The Importance of Being Earnest, The Other Place, The Grapes of Wrath, Mnemonic (2024), Nye (also Wales Millennium Centre), The House of Bernarda Alba, Othello, The Crucible (also West End), Blues for an Alabama Sky, The Ocean at the End of the Lane, Mosquitoes, This House, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, One Man, Two Guvnors and War Horse
Casting Director
Martin Poile CDG
Martin Poile CDG
Booking information
Ticket prices
Monday – Saturday evenings and matinees:
£20, £34, £49, £69, £89
Previews 25 – 30 September:
£20, £26, £35, £49, £64
Prices may change according to demand
For concessions and discounts, see Ways to save
Early evening performances
Please note the 6.30pm start time on the following performances: Thur 30 Oct, Tue 11 Nov, Thur 13 Nov and Tue 18 Nov.
Ticketing FAQs
- Fees: We charge no extra booking fees.
- Payment types: We accept Amex, MasterCard & Visa.
- Ticket delivery: We send mobile tickets 7 days before the performance. These can be saved to the wallet on your phone.
- Ticket exchanges: You can request to exchange some or all of your tickets in the Account section of this website, up to 24hrs before the performance. A fee of £4 per performance returned online applies.
Visit our full Ticketing FAQs if you need more information on how to book, ticket exchanges and more.
What's on guide
Download the latest guide (PDF 1.8MB)
What’s on Jan – Dec 2025
Download the Alternative format of the Jan – Dec 2025 guide (PDF 515KB)
Assisted performances
The interpreter for the BSL performance will be announced closer to the performance date.
Audio-described performances are preceded by a Touch Tour, 90 minutes before the performance start time. Call the Access line on 020 7452 3961 to book Touch Tours.
The Audio describers will be announced closer to the performance date.
We have an allocation of tickets held for members of our Access scheme and if any of the assisted performances above are shown as “Sold Out”, tickets may still be available: Please log in to your account to view all available tickets, or call Box Office on 020 7452 3961
Smart caption glasses
Will not be available for performances of Hamlet.
Shop
Visit our Shop website for a wide range of playtexts, gifts and prints of past production posters.
Photography (Hiran Abysekera) by Rosaline Shahnavaz