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Radiohead’s flawed album finds unexpected force in new Hamlet production
Radiohead’s uneven 2003 album *Hail to the Thief* has been reshaped into music for a new production of *Hamlet*, with unexpectedly strong results. The Royal Shakespeare Company and Factory International staging at the Barbican uses the songs to deepen the play’s eerie atmosphere without overwhelming its action, overcoming doubts about combining Shakespeare with rock.
Thom Yorke initially had reservations but regarded the album as “the record that got away”; it received mixed reviews, and some band members felt parts were unfinished. The production runs for 1 hour 40 minutes and edits both Shakespeare’s text and the album into fragments: reverb makes “2+2 = 5” sound disembodied, while pared-back arrangements give “Where I End and You Begin” more force. “Sail to the Moon” accompanies Ophelia’s breakdown, and “The Gloaming” is used at her funeral.
In short
- Radiohead’s *Hail to the Thief* becomes an effective *Hamlet* soundtrack.
- The 1 hour 40 minute production uses carefully edited fragments.
- The music supports the drama without interrupting Shakespeare’s text.
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Originally published by The Guardian as “Hamlet Hail to the Thief could have been rotten but redeems Radiohead’s ‘record that got away’ | Alexis Petridis”.