News
Thom Yorke brings Hamlet Hail to the Thief to the Barbican
By Editorial Team - June 11, 2026
Summary
Thom Yorke’s Hamlet Hail to the Thief will receive its London premiere at the Barbican, reworking Radiohead’s 2003 album inside Shakespearean tragedy.
Key Facts
- Category: News
- Published: June 11, 2026
- Tags: thom yorke, hamlet hail to the thief, radiohead, barbican, alternative theatre, london, Alternative Theatre / Radiohead News
Thom Yorke’s Hamlet Hail to the Thief is heading to the Barbican, and the premise remains fascinating in the best possible way. Announced on 11 June, the London premiere will run from 31 October 2026 to 23 January 2027 after a sold-out world premiere with Factory International and the Royal Shakespeare Company. The work combines Shakespeare’s Hamlet with Radiohead’s 2003 album Hail to the Thief, with the music completely reworked and performed live by a cast of musicians and actors. On paper, that sounds like the sort of concept that could collapse under its own seriousness. But Yorke’s catalogue has always had a haunted theatrical streak, and Hail to the Thief is especially suited to paranoia, political unease and fractured identity. This is not just nostalgia for a classic album. It is Radiohead material being forced into a new dramatic body.
Source: https://www.thelineofbestfit.com/news/thom-yorkes-hamlet-hail-to-the-thief-set-to-premiere-at-the-barbican