Thom Yorke is stepping into the world of theater with an ambitious new project: adapting Radiohead’s politically charged 2003 album Hail to the Thief for a Shakespearean stage production of Hamlet. The show, titled Hamlet Hail to the Thief, will make its world premiere at Aviva Studios in Manchester from April 27 to May 18, 2025, before moving to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in June 2025.
Yorke, alongside directors Steven Hoggett and Christine Jones, has reworked the original Hail to the Thief tracks to accompany Shakespeare’s text, blending live performance, music, and movement in a unique reinterpretation of the classic tragedy. “This is an interesting and intimidating challenge!” Yorke commented. “Adapting the original music for live performance with the actors, seeing how it collides with the text of Hamlet, is something I’ve been wanting to explore.”
The production aims to explore the themes of despair, corruption, and power within both Shakespeare’s narrative and Hail to the Thief. Christine Jones, one of the directors, noted the natural connection between the two: “We’ve found that the play haunts the album, and the album haunts the play. Both reflect the internal disquiet and rage that result from despair arising from scrutiny of dominant power structures.”
With orchestration and arrangements by Justin Levine, Hamlet Hail to the Thief will feature a cast of 20 musicians and actors, transforming Shakespeare’s Elsinore into a dystopian surveillance state. Audiences can expect a fusion of theater, music, and Radiohead’s signature sound in what promises to be a gripping and innovative retelling of Hamlet.
This isn’t Yorke’s first foray into composing music for visual media. Earlier this year, he provided the score for Daniele Luchetti’s film Confidenza, continuing his evolution as both a musician and composer.
