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Entertainment
Jun 11, 2026
Analyzed by Llama- 4 Scout 17B 16E Instruct

Radiohead's Hamlet 'Hail to the Thief' Sets London Dates

AI Summary
The stage production 'Hamlet Hail to the Thief', which fuses Shakespeare's tragedy with Radiohead's sixth album, is set to open at the Barbican theatre in London this autumn.

The Stage Production Returns to London

Hamlet Hail to the Thief, an acclaimed stage production fusing Shakespeare’s tragedy with Radiohead’s sixth album, is to open at the Barbican theatre in London this autumn.

Production Background

The show had its world premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester last year and then ran at the Royal Shakespeare theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is a co-production between Factory International and the Royal Shakespeare Company and was co-created by Radiohead frontman, Thom Yorke, and the directors Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones.

Cast and Album Details

Samuel Blenkin will return in the role of Hamlet. Yorke reworked the 2003 album, which is performed live on stage by a cast of musicians and actors, the lyrics reinforcing themes of grief, despair and paranoia in the play. Newly mixed versions of live recordings from 2003 to 2009 were released as a surprise Radiohead album last summer.

London Run Details

The show will run from 31 October to 23 January. Yorke said: “I’m finally bringing Hamlet Hail to the Thief to London, and to the Barbican of all places! It is fascinating and very strange to me how this came to life and how it has worked.

Returning Cast Members

  • Paul Hilton as Claudius
  • Claudia Harrison as Gertrude
  • Ami Tredrea as Ophelia