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Regional Reviews: Washington, D.C. Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet
Set and costume designer Tom Piper uses his scenic design to pay homage to the way Shakespeare himself staged his plays: open-sided wooden structures, some movable and controlled by ropes, to represent locations in both Stratford-upon-Avon and London. Prema Mehta's lighting design goes beyond setting the scenes by creating an emotional landscape for actors and audience alike. First of all, O'Farrell and Chakrabarti dig beneath the traditional assumptions about the woman William Shakespeare married, then left at home with three children while he sought theatrical inspiration in London. The couple's one son, Hamnet, died at the age of 11; subsequently, Shakespeare wrote a tragedy about a character named Hamlet at a time when the two names were interchangeable. For an additional level, director Erica Whyman has cast Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Agnes (commonly known today as Anne) Hathaway and other actors of color to acknowledge the multiple cultures living in England in that period. Jacobs is the shining star of this production. Agnes has passed the age by which most young women are married and lives an unconventional life, spending hours each day in the woods with her pet falcon and demonstrating a knowledge of folk medicine. William (Rory Alexander), son of a glovemaker but with more elevated dreams, tutors the local children in Latin. In a constricted society, these two marginal people find wholeness together–although the theatre physically takes William away from his family. All 14 members of the cast, many of whom appear in several roles, devote themselves completely to their common effort. Chakrabarti has added some clever inside-theatre references for the scenes with William in London, as renowned actors of the period, Richard Burbage (Bert Seymour) and Will Kempe (Nigel Barrett), complain about how their characters always seem to die or question whether performing indoors is logistically possible. Maggie O'Farrell's Hamnet runs through April 12, 2026, at Shakespeare Theatre Company, Harman Hall, 610 F St. NW, Washington DC. For tickets and information, please call 202-547-1122 or 877-487-8849 or visit www.shakespearetheatre.org. Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti Cast: |
