Anais Marchand’s, Hamlet & Co. is a modern, interactive retelling of Hamlet, which imagines Shakespeare’s tragedy in the ruthless world of modern business. We, the audience, have been invited to the wedding of Gertrude, widow of Hamlet Senior, the founder of Elsinore Tower, and Claude, Hamlet Senior’s brother and acting CEO. But when Amel, Hamlet Jr, crashes the memorial in frenzied grief over his father’s mysterious death, tensions run high, loyalties are tested, and all is to play for in the corporate ‘game’.
It’s certainly an interesting, ambitious, and topical idea. A modern retelling of Hamlet exploring the morality of big business, and the devastating consequences of viewing people as numbers, could have been fascinating. Unfortunately, the script falls far short. Marchand’s aims to blend modern colloquial phrasing with beautiful, Shakespearean imagery, but the results are baffling. Occasionally, I struggled to understand what the characters were even talking about. And when I did follow, I couldn’t emotionally invest, as the script so frequently resorts to clichés. For example, in a confrontation between Claude and company member Paul, the following dialogue is used.
Paul: ‘You’re playing with fire.’
Claude: ‘No, I’m playing to win.’
Hamlet & Co. is stocked full of exchanges like this, utterly lacking in the nuance that could have made this retelling compelling. Additionally, the confusing nature of some of the dialogue was detrimental to the ‘interactive’ sections of the performance. For instance, before Amel stages a play to present to the family and expose Claude’s guilt, he asked the audience to help determine the cause of Hamlet Senior’s death. But because Amel went straight into listing off the different options before we knew what was going on, no-one responded. This forced the actor, sadly I was unable to find his name, to break character and plead with the audience to give their opinions. It made for a tough watch.
The actors are giving their all, providing enthusiastic and mostly energetic performances. And there were some great moments here and there. Despite the choppy dialogue, all the exchanges between Paul and Claude in particular brimmed with tension. But there was a lack of consistency among the cast in the style of performances. Some actors seemed to be going for subtle realism, others for over-the-top dramatics. While there’s nothing inherently good or bad about either approach, they do not mesh well together, and it made for uneven viewing. There were also a few slightly awkward pauses, but this may have been due to out-of-sync lighting and sound cues.
What I found so frustrating about Hamlet & Co. is that there is some good here. As I said, the premise is a strong one. But beyond that, there’s also an interesting feminist message about Olivia’s (Ophelia’s) autonomy, questions about the nature of family, and some nice cast dynamics. But sadly, it’s all weighed down by clichéd, stilted and often confusing dialogue.
Hamlet & Co. is running at the Barons Court Theatre until the 10th of August.
Reviewer: Ben Pearson
Reviewed: 6th August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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