Hamlet review

The Dorfman is full of excitable nine-year-olds in high-vis jackets, clearly chuffed to be out of the classroom for the treat of the theatre. And Jude Christian’s adaptation of Hamlet for younger audiences, directed by Tinuke Craig, is a total treat, for children and grown-ups alike.          

The drama unravels against Frankie Bradshaw’s attractive, playful design – a chessboard stage, over which loom colourful strip lights, and a green and gold colour scheme that conjures the royal environment. The entire production bursts with colour – characters are adorned in bright greens, cherry reds, pastel pinks; except for grief-stricken Hamlet (a fresh performance by Kiren Kebaili-Dwyer), who wears ominous black. The only white comes with the appearance of the ghost (a mesmerising bit of puppetry that renders the ghost into a crown-adorned, dementor-like creature), and a repeated symbol of a white veil that poetically conveys death.

Running at 65 minutes with no interval, this is Hamlet pocket edition – and I think we’d all be lying if we said we hadn’t occasionally wished for a more bite-sized version. It’s the right length for keeping young minds – especially ones newly introduced to Shakespeare – engaged and intrigued. And they are engaged, right from the off. There are moments of audience interaction that would thrill any child, such as the permission to hurl chants of "murderer, murderer" full pelt at Claudius (played with calculated menace by Vedi Roy).

Their engagement goes deeper than this, though – it’s clear they are invested in both the relationships and the themes. Christian’s adaptation evidently does well to tap into children’s strong sense of morality and injustice; when Hamlet stabs Polonius, a nearby child audibly gasps and whispers to himself: "But now Hamlet is a murderer, too!"

It’s a strong cast, and the central relationships feel convincing. Hamlet and Ophelia’s (Jessica Alade) relationship is tender, and inspires just the right amount of embarrassed, yet delighted, giggles from the crowd. Hamlet’s love letters are set to music (lovely composition by Dom Coyote), with Ophelia singing his words that echo melancholically throughout. Rosencrantz (Efé Agwele) and Guildenstern (Curtis Callier) provide great comic relief as the buffoonish pair.

It’s not uncommon for Shakespeare to be sugar-coated for young audiences, but there’s none of that dilution here. The killings unfold with all the emotional oomph of any other production and the despair is tangible. I do spot one boy crying after the show ends, but he looks younger than the recommended minimum age of 8. The rest of the audience appears entranced. This is an energetic and unpatronising take on Hamlet that will delight the small people in your life (and probably you, too).