**** Highly Recommended The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamnet, now playing at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre, is perfect. Honestly, I read Maggie O’Farrell’s book, Hamnet, and I have to say there isn’t a single thing I’d change about this play. It was the best adaptation of a book that I’ve ever seen – and the acting is superb! 4 BIG Spotlights
Hamnet is a beautiful but poignant story focused on William Shakespeare’s early life at home with his parents and siblings, his courtship and wedding to his wife Agnes (name used in her father’s will), their marriage, the birth of their children, his early work in London, and the tragic death of their son Hamnet of the plague.
Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Agnes in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamnet. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
As I said in the intro, the acting is superb. In certain scenes the accents were difficult to understand, but the dialog is displayed on large screens on either side of the stage, which helped a lot.
Agnes Hathaway (Kemi-Bo Jacobs) is a healer who spends most of her time in the forests gathering herbs rather than assisting with the cooking and housework, which infuriates her stepmother Joan (Nicki Hobday).
Rory Alexander as William Shakespeare in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamnet. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
John Shakespeare ((Nigel Barrett), a glovemaker, is a brutal, angry, drunken man who terrorizes his household. He thinks his son, William Shakespeare (Rory Alexander), is worthless because he has a job tutoring the Hathaway sons.
When William meets Agnes – he says the ‘g’ is silent, therefore her name is Ann – they have a connection. When she becomes pregnant, they announce their intention to marry. Although an angry Joan tries to deny Agnes her dowry, her brother, Bartholomew (Troy Alexander) prevails.
Rory Alexander and Kemi-Bo Jacobs as William and Agnes Shakespeare in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamnet. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
At the Shakespeare house, John loses his temper because she’s a Hathaway (he tried to stiff them on a debt) but Will prevails and they wed. When the baby is born, they call her Susanna. Two years later, Agnes gives birth to twins they name Judith and Hamnet.
The Shakespeare family needs a larger market for his father’s gloves, which are finely made, so William goes to London to try and sell them there. Jumping forward, William is working on writing and producing plays in London while Agnes raises the family in Stratford. When the plague strikes, Judith (Saffron Day) falls ill. Hamnet (Ajani Cabey) tries to get help, but no one is home and John beats and berates him for even asking for help. When Agnes finally does come home, she works to heal Judith, but when Hamnet falls ill, she is unable to save him.
Saffron Dey as Judith and Ajani Cabey as Hamnet in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamnet. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
When William gets a letter about Judith’s illness, he leaves for home. When he arrives, he is happy to see that Judith is still alive but then he learns about Hamnet. He and Agnes mourn together but soon he has to leave for London where he’s working on a play about a pair of twins. Soon after, a smug, self-righteous Joan visits just to tell Agnes about William’s new play, Hamlet.
Furious, Agnes goes to London to confront William but she walks in on the opening of Hamlet. Hearing the words William wrote has a profound effect when she understands the meanings behind them.
Kemi-Bo Jacobs and Rory Alexander as Agnes and William Shakespeare in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamnet. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
The cast: Agnes (Kemi-bo Jacobs); William (Rory Alexander); Bartholomew )Troy Alexander); Hamnet/Thomas Day (Ajani Cabey); Judith (Saffron Day); Joan/Elizabeth Condell (Nicki Hobday); Eliza (Heather Forster); Ned/Henry Condell/Physician (Karl Haynes); Susanna (Ava Hinds-Jones); Jude/Physician’s Wife (Matilda McCarthy); Mary (Penny Laydon); Caterina/Tilly/Will’s Landlady (Elizaeth Connick); Burbage/Father John (Bert Seymour).
Tom Piper’s wood-framed open set is functional and versatile. A pair of giant ladders lean into a platform to form an A-frame attic; or a pair of ropes pull those ladders up straight to become part of a wall. A lower platform becomes a stage for Shakespeare’s company. Various cast members, wearing appropriate period clothing, wield the ropes or carry structural pieces or small furniture items on or off stage whenever needed.
Saffron Dey as Judith and Ajani Cabey as Hamnet in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamnet. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
Hamnet, based on the 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell, was adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti and directed by Erica Whyman. A co-production with RSC and Neal Street Productions, Hamnet premiered in Stratford-upon-Avon in 2023, breaking box office records. When it transferred to the West End’s Garrick Theatre it opened to the biggest box office advance in the Garrick’s history. Chloé Zhao co-wrote the film adaptation with Maggie O’Farrell. Steven Spielberg acted as Executive Producer of the Neal Street Production which was filmed in just two months in 2024 and released in 2025. The film won Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Actress in the 2026 Golden Globes. It has been nominated for 8 Academy Awards.
The Royal Shakespeare Company’s production of Hamnet runs through March 8th in the Yard at Chicago Shakespeare Theatre on Navy Pier, Chicago. Parking in CST’s designated area in the Navy Pier Garage is available at a 40% discount with validation from CST.
Heather Forster as Eliza and Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Agnes in the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Hamnet. Photo by Kyle Flubacker.
Running time is 2 hours, 30 minutes, including an intermission. Performances are Tuesdays at 7:00 pm; Wednesdays at 1:00 & 7:00 pm; Thursdays & Fridays at 7:00 pm; Saturdays at 2:00 & 7:00 pm; Sundays at 2:00 pm. Tickets start at $58. FYI (312) 595-5600 or www.chicagoshakes.com
After Hamnet completes its run at Chicago Shakespeare the production will transfer to Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington DC, from March 17th through April 12th, then to the American Conservatory Theater in San Francisco, from April 22nd through May 24th.