“Brevity is the soul of wit,” counsels Polonius, so let’s be brisk about the National Theatre of Great Britain’s Hamlet that opened Monday for a three-week visit to the Brooklyn Academy of Music’s Harvey Theater. Expect to see in that timeless space a sterling though cool rendition of William Shakespeare’s ever-intriguing drama as performed by a multicultural ensemble of mostly British artists who probably were professionally teethed upon his plays.
Sri Lankan actor Hiran Abeysekera, best known for his Olivier Award-winning performance in The Life of Pi in both its London and Broadway productions, heads the company here as Hamlet. Staged by Robert Hastie, the National’s deputy artistic director (and director of the musical Operation Mincemeat), the play is performed in two acts running nearly three hours that usually holds one’s attention if not captivate it.
The castle of Elsinore is represented by set and costume designer Ben Stones as a spacious, elegant ballroom featuring brooding murals of mythical and battlefield scenes as well as several secret doors hidden amid the paneling. Dressed for the late twentieth century, the characters are interpreted by the director and his 18-member ensemble as people of modern-day sensibilities who just happen to converse in beautiful Shakespearean language. Several roles traditionally played by men are depicted here by women; sometimes as female-identifying characters.
[Read David Finkle’s ★★★★☆ review here.]
An impish Hamlet who sports sweatshirts, one earring and a mop of curly hair, Abeysekera speaks quickly and directly to the audience during his soliloquies; sometimes so other characters can hear his thoughts, too. Self-involved, like all Hamlets, Abeysekera’s youthful character appears immature and reckless rather than crazy – faked or otherwise – although he is seen to hug tightly his father’s ghost, who embraces him, which surely hints at incipient madness.
There’s little spark between this Hamlet and his mother, given a listless quality by Ayesha Dharker as if Gertrude feels terrible guilt over her hasty marriage to Claudius. Usually with a cocktail in his hand, Alistair Petrie’s Claudius strives to present himself as a jaunty royal but soon grows anxious. In contrast, a fond relationship obviously exists between the disarming Matthew Cottle’s kindly, ever-chatty Polonius and his children. Tom Glenister believably makes Laertes’ big leap in character from blond-tipped party boy to avenging son and brother. Francesca Mills is a wide-eyed, smoky-voiced Ophelia of mischievous spirit whose dive into chaotic madness becomes truly pathetic.
Notable among the several people they each depict in what Hastie’s staging visually intimates to be a disorderly court – that rot festering in Denmark – are Tessa Wong, looking oh-so worried as Hamlet’s bestie Horatio; Maureen Beattie, incisive as the First Player; Seb Slade, droll as Polonius’ patient servant; and Hari MacKinnon and Joe Bolland, respectively being preppy and posh as hapless Rosencrantz and Guildenstern. Ryan Ellsworth is an imposing figure in different ways as he plays contrasting roles as the Ghost, Player King and First Gravedigger.
Apart from Mills, whose live-wired Ophelia is a vital presence, the company’s well-spoken performances generally appear a tad disengaged, as illustrated by Abeysekera’s energetic though very self-conscious Hamlet, who seemingly thinks only about his own feelings rather than about anyone around him. Blood spills but the emotional temperature remains low despite ominous sound effects, skittering violins and spooky red lighting. Of course, Hamlet remains fascinating all by its 426-year-old self and as somebody remarks, the play’s the thing, and the National Theatre capably serves it here.
Hamlet opened May 4, 2026, at the BAM Harvey Theater and runs through May 17. Tickets and information: bam.org
