Richard Bratby

Upstart Crow without the jokes: RSC’s Hamnet, at the Swan Theatre, reviewed

Plus: a Julius Caesar with no perceptible power structures and, oddest of all, no crowd scenes

Madeleine Mantock forthright Agnes and Tom Varey's laddish Will in RSC's Hamnet. Photo: Manuel Harlan / RSC
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  • Hamnet

    Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, until 17 June, then Garrick Theatre from 30 September until 6 January 2024

  • Julius Caesar

    Royal Shakespeare Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon, and touring until 24 June

The Swan Theatre has reopened after an overhaul and praise god: they’ve replaced the seats. The Swan is a likeable theatre; the only space in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s portfolio that still conveys a real sense of history, though until 2020 that came at the price of acute posterior discomfort.

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