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RSC’s Stage Adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s ‘Hamnet’ Announces West End Transfer Before Opening
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s stage adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s best-selling novel, ‘Hamnet’, has taken the unusual step of announcing its West End transfer before it has even opened in Shakespeare’s birthplace, Stratford-upon-Avon. The play, adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti, directed by Erica Whyman, and starring Madeleine Mantock, will run at the Swan Theatre from April 1 to June 17. However, following a “tsunami” of interest from eager ticket buyers, the show will transfer to London’s Garrick Theatre for 14 weeks from September 30 to January 6.
O’Farrell’s novel has sold more than 1.5 million copies and has fans on every continent. It tells the tale of the plain-speaking, free-spirited Agnes Hathaway, her relationship with Shakespeare, the heartbreaking death of their 11-year-old son Hamnet, and how that tragedy inspired the Bard to write ‘Hamlet’. The story of love and heartbreak has touched a nerve, particularly during the pandemic.
Chakrabarti calls the play “totally a love story, it’s very romantic” and says that the novel raises the question of who was the family behind Shakespeare’s work. An option for a movie adaptation of ‘Hamnet’ was acquired by Liza Marshall’s Hera Pictures, and the film is currently in development with Neal Street Productions and Amblin Partners.
For the stage adaptation, agreements were struck with the RSC for Neal Street, in association with Hera Pictures, to allow a separate theatre version. O’Farrell has assisted with both the screenplay and the stage play. Newling said, “It’s unusual to shout about transferring before you’ve opened, but there was this tsunami of interest, and we were never going to satisfy the extraordinary level of interest during the run at the Swan alone. There is such demand for this title.”
Mantock is excited for the “giant role” of Agnes Hathaway, and the cast got to meet O’Farrell during rehearsals. The novel’s focus on Agnes redresses some of the injustices done to her, something that excites Chakrabarti. She calls Shakespeare “endlessly fascinating,” and asserts that ‘Hamnet’ asks who the family behind him was.
Following its run at the Swan and the Garrick, the phenomenon of ‘Hamnet’ is expected to continue, with the possibility of a Broadway run and more. The cast includes Tom Vary as William Shakespeare, and creatives include Tom Piper design and Prema Mehta lighting.
