Lloyd Evans Lloyd Evans

Shakespearean directors could learn from this: the National Theatre’s Hamlet for 8- to 12-year-olds reviewed

Plus: all moral uncertainty has been effaced from Aaron Sorkin’s To Kill a Mockingbird – which is odd for a play about ethics

Child’s play: the cast of Hamlet for younger audiences at the Dorfman Theatre. Credit: © Ellie Kurttz 
issue 09 April 2022

The NT has rejigged Hamlet for 8- to 12-year-old children. It’s a decent attempt to cover the highlights at a sprint lasting just 90 minutes. A few gripes. The medieval setting is unclear because the courtiers wear matching red and yellow suits, like Butlins entertainers. Why not military costumes? British kids are used to seeing the royals in uniforms.

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