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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.
Explained simply
Hamlet is one of William Shakespeare’s tragedies, centred on a Danish prince seeking to understand his father’s death and how to respond to it. Its themes include grief, power, uncertainty and revenge, and it has been adapted in many forms since it was written.
Radiohead are a British band, with Thom Yorke as their singer. Hail to the Thief was released in 2003; the album combines rock and electronic sounds, and its reception was mixed. The Royal Shakespeare Company is a theatre company devoted to Shakespeare and his contemporaries, while Factory International produces arts events.
Putting the album into a stage version of Hamlet brings together two works with distinct styles and histories. The songs can give the play a contemporary musical sound, while the staging has to leave space for Shakespeare’s characters and story.
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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”.