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Tuesday, 13 January 2026 14:29

Royal Shakespeare Company's HAMNET - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre - Through March 8th 2026

Royal Shakespeare Company's HAMNET - Chicago Shakespeare Theatre - Through March 8th 2026

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) announces casting for the US tour of the Royal Shakespeare Company's  Hamnet, based on the best-selling novel by Maggie O'Farrell, adapted by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi, Red Velvet, Hymn), and directed by Erica Whyman. A co-production with the RSC and Neal Street Productions, Hamnet pulls back a curtain on the story of the greatest writer in the English language and the woman who was the constant presence and purpose of his life. Hamnet is a love letter to passion, birth, grief, and the magic of nature. The US premiere features Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Agnes and Rory Alexander as William and begins its US premiere at Chicago Shakespeare Theater in The Yard, February 10‑March 8, 2026. The production will then transfer to Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, DC, from March 17 to April 12, 2026, and American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco from April 22 to May 24, 2026.

Warwickshire, 1582. Agnes Hathaway, a natural healer, meets the Latin tutor, William Shakespeare. Drawn together by powerful but hidden impulses, they create a life together and make a family. When the plague steals 11-year-old Hamnet from his loving parents, they must each confront their loss alone. And yet, out of the greatest suffering, something of extraordinary wonder is born.

The original production of Hamnet played to sold-out audiences in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2023, breaking box office records at the Swan Theatre. It later opened to the biggest box office advance in the Garrick Theatre's history when it transferred to the West End and was hailed as "pure theatre gold" by The Mail on Sunday and "elegant and beguiling" by the Evening Standard.

Kemi-Bo Jacobs plays Agnes. Jacobs' recent stage credits include Coriolanus (National Theatre), The Other Boleyn Girl (Chichester), Ocean at the End of the Lane (West End and National Theatre Tour), All My Sons (Manchester Royal Exchange and UK Tour), Wild East (Young Vic), The Winter's Tale (RSC) and The Sweet Science of Bruising (Southwark Playhouse). Her screen credits include Million Days, The Letter for The King (Netflix), The Great (Hulu), McMafia, Thirteen, Delicious, London Has Fallen, The Honorable Woman, Lewis and Doctor Who. Rory Alexander plays William. Alexander can currently be seen starring as a young Murtagh Fitzgibbons Fraser in the Outlander prequel Blood of My Blood for Starz, and was longlisted for a BIFA for Best Breakthrough Performance for his leading role in Inland opposite Mark Rylance and Kathryn Hunter. He has recently completed filming on Justin Chadwick's latest feature Untamed with Emily Barber and Matthew Steer. Alexander can also be seen playing the role of Boogie in Danny Boyle's Pistol alongside Louis Partridge, Thomas Brodie-Sangster and Maisie Williams for FX/Hulu (US) and Disney+(UK). Other notable film and television credits include Element Film's Dark Windows, Dark Game with Ed Westwick, Kenny Swinney in Sky's Then You Run with Leah McNamara, Eric in Amazon's Alex Rider S2 with Vicky McClure, and Netflix's Anxious People.

The cast also includes Troy Alexander (Bartholomew), Nigel Barrett (John/Will Kempe), Haydn Burke (Ensemble), Ajani Cabey (Hamnet), Saffron Dey (Judith), Victoria Elliott (Joan), Heather Forster (Eliza), Thalia Gambe (Ensemble) Karl Haynes (Ned), Ava Hinds Jones (Susanna), Nicki Hobday (Jude), Penny Layden (Mary), Matilda McCarthy (Tilly/Catherina), and Bert Seymour (Burbage/Father John).

"We're delighted to welcome the Royal Shakespeare Company back to Chicago for this moving and illuminating production of Hamnet," shared CST Artistic Director Edward Hall. "The play gives a fascinating window into Shakespeare's life from a new perspective that imagines in such vivid detail what his family might have been like—a valuable new contribution to understanding the family and the writer behind the plays we know and love. And it's wonderful to be welcoming playwright Lolita Chakrabarti back to CST, whose writing so sensitively brings to life the characters in Maggie O'Farrell's beautiful novel."

RSC Co-Artistic Directors Daniel Evans and Tamara Harvey shared, "We are delighted to share casting for the first US tour of Hamnet. It's wonderful to be coming back in 2026 with Lolita Chakrabarti's beautiful adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's best-selling novel, which offers a compelling new perspective on Shakespeare through the eyes of Agnes Hathaway and their children. We can't wait to share this intimate and moving story with US audiences."

Playwright Lolita Chakrabarti added, "Hamnet brings to life the Shakespeare family—William, his sister and their parents, Agnes, his wife, and their three children. You will see why William went to London and discovered the theater, how his family lived without him and how the profound loss of a child gave us one of the most important plays in the western world. Hamnet is a heartwarming and heartbreaking exploration of family, loss, and the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive."

Director Erica Whyman said, "I am delighted to be revisiting this extraordinary story for US audiences, and to be making this production with a stellar line-up of performers. Kemi-Bo Jacobs and Rory Alexander are bringing Agnes and William alive on the stage with a luminous intelligence and a profound and shocking understanding of the love and loss that shaped their lives. They are joined by a wonderful company bringing a wealth of experience and spirited invention to Lolita's searing adaptation. The play explores Agnes's remarkable spiritual gifts and her relationship with both the natural world and the future with an imaginative theatricality, and audiences should expect beautiful music, movement and sound design on Tom Piper's stunning set. This is, at its heart, an intimate story of family which finds eternal expression on the stage—to see it in the theatre is to bear witness to the astonishing resilience of the human spirit."

Hamnet has sold over a 1.5 million copies worldwide and was named both Waterstones Book of the Year and winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in 2020. The novel also saw Maggie O'Farrell named the winner of the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction; the UK's most prestigious annual book award celebrating and honouring fiction written by women. As the No. 1 Sunday Times Bestseller in 2021, Hamnet was shortlisted for the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction (2021) and British Book awards 'Fiction Book of the Year' (2021).

The production features set and costume design by Tom Piper, lighting design by Prema Mehta, sound design by Simon Baker, music by Oğuz Kaplangi, casting by Amy  all CDG, and movement by Ayşe Tashkiran.

Tickets (starting at $58) are on sale now.

More information at  www.chicagoshakes.com/hamnet or on social media at @chicagoshakes.

Royal Shakespeare Company and Neal Street Productions

Maggie O'Farrell's

Hamnet

Adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti
Directed by Erica Whyman
February 10-March 8, 2026
The Yard

PERFORMANCE LISTING

  • Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m.
  • Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. 7:00 p.m. (no matinee February 11)
  • Thursdays at 7:00 p.m.
  • Fridays at 7:00 p.m.
  • Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (no matinee April 18)
  • Sundays at 2:00 p.m.

Chicago Shakespeare strives to make its facility and performances accessible to all patrons. Accessible seating, assistive listening devices, large-print and Braille programs, and sensory tools are available at every performance. Enhanced performances include:

  • Audio-described performance – Sunday, February 22 at 2:00 p.m. 

A program that provides spoken narration of a play's key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision.

  • Open captioned performance – Wednesday, February 25 at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.  
    A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.
  • ASL interpreted performance – Friday, February 27 at 7:00 p.m.
    All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters

TICKETS HERE

CREATIVE TEAM

Lolita Chakrabarti – Playwright
Erica Whyman - Director
Tom Piper - Set and Costume Design
Prema Mehta - Lighting Design
Simon Baker - Sound Design 
Oğuz Kaplangi - Music
Amy Ball, CDG - Casting
Ayşe Tashkiran - Movement 

CAST

Rory Alexander - Will

Troy Alexander - Bartholomew

Nigel Barrett - John / Will Kempe

Haydn Burke - Ensemble

Ajani Cabey – Hamnet

Saffron Dey - Judith

Victoria Elliott – Joan

Heather Forster - Eliza

Thalia Gambe - Ensemble

Karl Haynes - Ned

Ava Hinds Jones - Susanna

Nicki Hobday – Jude

Kemi-Bo Jacobs – Agnes

Penny Layden - Mary

Matilda McCarthy - Tilly / Catherina

Bert Seymour - Burbage / Father John

CHICAGO SHAKESPEARE THEATER (CST)

CST is a leading international theater company and the nation's largest year-round theater dedicated to the works of Shakespeare. Under the visionary leadership of Artistic Director Edward Hall and Executive Director Kimberly Motes, the Regional Tony Award recipient is committed to creating vivid, entertaining theatrical experiences that invigorate and engage people of all ages and identities by illuminating the complexity, ambiguity, and wonder of our world. Each year, nearly a quarter of a million people experience CST's artistry through more than 12 productions. With Shakespeare at the heart of the artistic work, CST also produces compelling, contemporary stories from fresh voices of today. CST brings the world to Chicago and sends Chicago out into the world as Chicago's foremost presenter of international theater, and consistent producer of North American and world premieres. Serving more students and teachers than any theater in the city, CST annually welcomes more than 20,000 students to performances and programs like Chicago Shakespeare SLAM, alongside professional development opportunities for teachers. CST activates its campus with three venues: 700-seat The Yard; the 500-seat Jentes Family Courtyard Theater; and the 200-seat Carl and Marilynn Thoma Upstairs Studio. Free programs like Shakes in the City bring performances to parks and community spaces across Chicago's 77 neighborhoods. Shared humanity and unforgettable stories—now THIS is Chicago Shakespeare. www.chicagoshakes.com

THE ROYAL SHAKESPEARE COMPANY (RSC)

The RSC is a leading global theatre company that sparks local, national and international conversations that build connections, create opportunities and bring joy. We passionately believe that great storytelling can change the world, and that theatre offers its own unique form of storytelling: it's live and shared, and transforms a group of strangers into audiences who, together, experience a story come to life in front of their eyes. We collaborate with the most exciting artists to tell the stories of our time, and through a range of programmes we nurture the talent of the future. We perform on three stages in our home in Stratford-upon-Avon, in London and in communities and schools across the country and around the world. Our transformative Creative Learning and Engagement programmes reach over half a million young people each year. www.rsc.org.uk

 

NEAL STREET PRODUCTIONS

Neal Street is one of the UK's most respected production companies, producing film, television and theatre. Founded 2003 by Sam Mendes, Pippa Harris and Caro Newling, it makes distinctive, popular award-winning projects on both sides of the Atlantic. TV includes Call the Midwife, The Franchise, Britannia, Penny Dreadful, The Hollow Crown. Films include Mendes' Empire of Light, 1917 and Revolutionary Road; Hamnet and The Magic Faraway Tree. Currently in development The Beatles project for Sony Pictures - four distinct theatrical feature films about the greatest band in history, conceived and directed by Sam Mendes. Theatre originated by Neal Street includes The Lehman Trilogy, The Motive and the Cue, The Hills of California, Hamnet, Local Hero, The Ferryman, Shrek the Musical, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Bridge Project 2010 - 2012, Three Days of Rain, The Vertical Hour. West End transfers include The Fifth Step, Walking with Ghosts, The Moderate Soprano, This House, The Painkiller, Merrily We Roll Along, South Downs/The Browning Version, Red, Enron, Sunday in the Park with George, Mary Stuart. The theatre slate is overseen by Newling together with producer, Georgia Gatti. In 2015 Neal Street moved under the umbrella of parent company, All3Media, which is owned by RedBird IMI.

www.nealstreetproductions.com  
Published in Now Playing
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Sunday, 27 October 2024 13:12

Pericles: Royal Shakespeare Company refreshes an obscure tale at Chicago Shakespeare Theater

Zach Wyatt as Pericles, Leah Haile as Thaisa, and the company of the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Pericles. Directed by RSC co-artistic director Tamara Harvey and running in Chicago Shakespeare’s Courtyard Theater October 20-December 7, 2024.

They do abuse the king that flatter him

For flattery is the bellows that blows up sin

These days, fireplace bellows tend to be a specialty item. But most of us know that blowing the hot air of flattery into leaders comes to no good. With the presidential election just days away and the globe exploding in violence, Pericles’ nobleman Helicanus reminds us that the habits of powerful people and their sycophants have changed little in 400 years.  

In case you missed Pericles, the Prince of Tyre in college lit class or on stage, you can now fill in the gap with the Royal Shakespeare Company’s visiting production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater. The Bard’s message about power in this play is as strong as in more familiar works like Macbeth and Richard III. However, its authorship remains in dispute – scholars suspect another writer contributed the first two acts – and its dramaturgy presents some challenges.

Tamara Harvey, recently appointed co-artistic director of the RSC, directs Pericles with a sure hand that brings clarity to its intricate plot and cohesion to its stylistic disparities. Flowing yet unfussy costumes by Kinnetia Isidore and a set of sweeping ropes by Jonathan Fensom match the pace established by Harvey. She often places ensemble members in frozen tableau upstage during a downstage scene and lets action from one scene continue silently on the outskirts of another, thus bouncing the story along quickly.

Still, Pericles is a rough ride, beginning with an appalling sin: a king having incestuous relations with his daughter. This could happen in the humblest to the grandest families, but King Antiochus turns it into a competitive royal sport. Whoever can solve a riddle will win the hand of his nameless and wordless daughter. Though many suitors have previously failed and lost their lives, Pericles decides to give it a shot and, in solving the riddle, exposes the king’s depravity. To escape Antiochus’ murderous plan for him, Pericles begins a journey involving strange lands, major storms and wayward ships, a beloved wife and daughter lost and recovered, men using earthbound force and women wielding priestly powers that ultimately result in a happy conclusion.

No surprise, the RSC’s legendary ensemble shifts roles as naturally as breathing, inhabiting each character simply and fully. Zach Wyatt gives a solid performance in the title role despite its limitations. The main characters of Shakespeare’s later romance plays – specifically Prospero in The Tempest and Leontes in The Winter’s Tale – grip our imagination because of their flaws. Pericles, on the other hand, has no noticeable failings that push him into trouble. Trouble finds him without dampening his virtue or his courage. Whether solving the immoral riddle, bringing food to famished people or besting his competitors in a joust with only a worn armored vest while they hold shiny shields, Pericles triumphs. Nothing digs below the man’s smooth surface, and Wyatt doesn’t add any surprises.

The reward of this seldom-produced play is not a specific character’s path to greater humanity, but instead a timeless commentary on leadership. As we wade through this election season, enduring politicians who blow flattery into voters at home and hearing reports of sins from abroad, Pericles’ exotic narrative seems frighteningly familiar.  

Pericles, a Royal Shakespeare Company production at Chicago Shakespeare Theater, is playing now through December 7th. For tickets, go to www.chicagoshakes.com/pericles  

Published in Theatre in Review
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Thursday, 19 September 2024 13:40

Royal Shakespeare Company returns to Chicago with PERICLES

Chicago Shakespeare Theater (CST) presents the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC)'s Pericles, direct from a "triumphant" (The Telegraph) run at the company's home in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK. One of the world's preeminent theater companies, the RSC returns to Chicago for the first time in 30 years as part of a new, ongoing partnership with CST.

Tamara Harvey directs this major new production of Shakespeare's moving tale in her and Daniel Evans' first season as the RSC's co‑artistic directors. The Guardian raved about the UK premiere, "Pericles could not have been done better." This exclusive engagement runs October 20–December 7 in the Courtyard Theater, marking CST's 100th international production bringing the world's great artists to Chicago.

When Prince Pericles solves a riddle set by the neighboring King, he knows the answer could get him killed. Fleeing for safety, he finds himself swept away on an epic voyage that will see him battle princes, marry his true love, and become a father. But this is also a journey of storms and shipwrecks, abduction and devastating loss. Adrift in an ocean of grief, will Pericles ever see his family again?

"It is a huge pleasure to be bringing the Royal Shakespeare Company back to Chicago for the first time in 30 years with this most timely and beautiful production of Pericles," said CST's artistic director Edward Hall. "The inaugural production as co‑artistic director from Tamara Harvey is a rare opportunity for audiences to immerse themselves in this thought-provoking and wise story brought to life by an exceptionally talented company. This marks the beginning of a partnership between the RSC and CST in an expression of the shared passion for Shakespeare long held by us, Tamara Harvey, and Daniel Evans."

Harvey shared, "As I stepped with excitement and trepidation into the rehearsal room to create this, my RSC debut, I wouldn't have dared hope that the experience could be so joyful and creatively exhilarating. This company of actors is extraordinary, and we are thrilled to welcome Zach Wyatt as Pericles for the next leg of our journey together, whose professional debut—a very Pericles-like note of connection and reunion—was with Ed Hall when he was artistic director of Hampstead Theatre in London."

She continued, "Sharing this lesser-known Shakespeare with audiences in Stratford‑upon‑Avon has confirmed our belief that Pericles' perennial relevance is compelling, with its examination of leadership, endurance, loss, and hope. We can't wait to share this beautiful play with Chicago Shakespeare Theater's audiences as together we start to write the next chapter in the centuries-old story of collaboration between our two nations."

Zach Wyatt leads the cast of the Chicago engagement in the title role of Prince Pericles. Wyatt has been seen onstage in the West End production of A Little Life, Bartholomew Fair and The Merry Wives of Windsor at The Globe, Wild East at the Young Vic, and I And You at Hampstead Theatre. His television and film credits include The Witcher: Blood Origin, Timestalker, and Blithe Spirit.

The company also includes Miles Barrow (Thaliard/Boult), Philip Bird (Helicanus), Jacqueline Boatswain (Cerimon/Bawd), Rachelle Diedericks (Marina), Chyna‑Rose Frederick (Antiochus' Daughter/Lychorida/Diana), Sasha Ghoshal (Ensemble), Leah Haile (Thaisa), Felix Hayes (Anitochus/Pander), Kel Matsena (Lysimachus), Miriam O'Brien (Ensemble), Emmanuel Olusanya (Ensemble), Chukwuma Omambala (Cleon), Sam Parks (Escanes, Leonine), Christian Patterson (Simonides), and Gabby Wong (Dionyza).

Joining Harvey on the creative team are Jonathan Fensom (Set Designer), Kinnetia Isidore (Costume Designer), Ryan Day (Lighting Designer), Claire van Kampen (Composer),Claire Windsor (Sound Designer), Annie‑Lunnette Deakin-Foster (Movement Director), Charlotte Sutton CDG (Casting Director),Elinor Peregrin (Music Director), Tess Dignan (Voice and Text), Francesca Murray-Fuentes (Associate Director), Zoë Thomas‑Webb (Associate Costume Designer), and Juliano Zaffino (Textual Consultant).

The press opening for Pericles is scheduled for Friday, October 25 at 7:00 p.m. 

More information at www.chicagoshakes.com/pericles or on social media at @chicagoshakes.

 

Pericles

By William Shakespeare
Directed by Tamara Harvey
October 20–December 7, 2024
Courtyard Theater

PERFORMANCE LISTING

  • Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. (except November 12 and 19)
  • Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m. (no matinee on October 23 and no evening on November 27)
  • Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. (except November 28)
  • Fridays at 7:00 p.m. 
  • Saturdays at 2:00 p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
  • Sundays at 2:00 p.m. (additional performances at 6:00 p.m. on October 20 and 7:00 p.m. on December 1)

 

Chicago Shakespeare strives to make its facility and performances accessible to all patrons. Accessible seating, assistive listening devices, large-print and Braille programs, and sensory tools are available at every performance. Enhanced performances include:

  • Audio-described performance with optional touch tour – Sunday, November 17 2:00 p.m.
    A program that provides spoken narration of a play's key visual elements for patrons who are blind or have low vision. Touch Tours provide patrons the opportunity to experience, firsthand, a production's design elements.
  • Open captioning – Wednesday, November 20 at 1:00 & 7:00 p.m.
    A text display of the words and sounds heard during a play, synced live with the action onstage.
  • Projected Spanish translated performance - Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m.
    A text display of the words of the play, translated into Spanish, synced live with the dialogue.
  • ASL interpreted performance – Friday, November 22, at 7:00 p.m.
    All dialogue and lyrics are translated into American Sign Language by two certified interpreters
Published in Theatre in Review
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