(C) Manuel Harlan
The stage production of Hamnet will transfer direct to London’s Garrick Theatre this autumn after selling out ahead of its world premiere at the newly restored Swan Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon this April.
This new play based on the best-selling novel by Maggie O’Farrell, adapted by award-winning playwright Lolita Chakrabarti (Life of Pi, Red Velvet, Hymn), 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.
Madeleine Mantock will play Agnes (Anne) Hathaway, in her RSC debut. Madeleine made her West End stage debut in 2021 playing Elvira in Richard Eyre’s production of Blithe Spirit at the Harold Pinter Theatre. For TV, Madeleine recently played Macy Vaughn in CBS studios series Charmed and Miss Clara in the BBC’s The Long Song. Other TV credits include The Tomorrow People (Warner Brothers), Age Before Beauty (BBC) and Into the Badlands (AMC). Madeleine’s film credits include Breaking Brooklyn (Montage Films), The Truth Commissioner (BBC Films) and Edge of Tomorrow (Warner Brothers).
The full cast includes Gabriel Akuwudike (Bartholomew), Sarah Belcher (Joan), Will Brown (Burbage/Father John), Ajani Cabey (Hamnet/Thomas Day), Phoebe Campbell (Susanna), Mhairi Gayer (Tilly/Caterina/Landlady), Frankie Hastings (Eliza), Karl Haynes (Ned/Physician/Condell), Alex Jarrett (Judith), Madeleine Mantock (Agnes Hathaway), Hannah McPake (Jude/Physician’s Wife), Liza Sadovy (Mary), Tom Varey (William Shakespeare) and Peter Wight (John/Will Kempe). Haydn Burke and Faye Campbell complete the cast as off-stage understudies.
Warwickshire,1582. Agnes (Anne) 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.
Will it be like &Juliet but without the songs? Something tells me no, but it sounds very interesting!
