Hamlet Hail to the Thief to have London premiere at the Barbican

Hamlet Hail to the Thief will make its London premiere at the Barbican Theatre this autumn following earlier runs with the Royal Shakespeare Company and Factory International.

The production, which combines William Shakespeare’s Hamlet with music from Radiohead’s 2003 album Hail to the Thief, will run from 31 October 2026 to 23 January 2027. It was previously nominated for three WhatsOnStage Awards.

Co-created by Radiohead’s Thom Yorke alongside Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett, the piece reimagines Shakespeare’s tragedy through a score built from songs from the album, reworked by Yorke and performed live on stage by a company of musicians and actors.

Adapted by Jones with Hoggett, the production follows Hamlet and Ophelia as they confront corruption and political unrest in Elsinore. The work premiered at Aviva Studios in Manchester before transferring to Stratford-upon-Avon.

Yorke said today: “I’m into 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.

“When it revealed itself to us over time I was shocked, having never had this kind of experience before. I am happy for it to be seen by a wider audience in such an intense space.”

Initial casting for the production has also been announced, with further company members still to be revealed.

The creative team includes Yorke as orchestrator, AMP featuring Sadra Tehrani as scenographer, Justin Levine as arranger, Tom Brady as music supervisor, Jess Williams as choreographer, Gareth Fry as sound designer, Will Duke as projection designer, Jessica Hung Han Yun as lighting designer and Lisa Duncan as costume designer. Casting is by Charlotte Sutton for the RSC, with Ayanna Thompson serving as dramaturg and textual consultant and Jack Moulton as sound manipulator.

Tickets go on general sale on 26 June 2026.