KPFA Theatre Critic Richard Wolinsky reviews the Royal Shakespeare Company touring production of “Hamnet” at ACT Toni Rembe (Geary) Theatre through May 24, 2026.
Text of Review:
In November 2025, a film adaptation of the 2020 Maggie O’Farrell novel Hamnet hit the screens of America. Four months later, Jessie Buckley won an Oscar for the role of Agnes Hathaway, wife of William Shakespeare, and mother of their three children.
But back in April 2023, the same month that Chloe Zao was contracted to co-author and direct the screenplay of Hamnet, a stage adaptation of the novel made its premiere under the auspices of the Royal Shakespeare Company at their home, the Swan Theatre in Stratford-on-Avon in England. And it’s a touring production by that same company that is now at ACT’s Toni Rembe Theatre through May 24th.
From a purely academic viewpoint, it’s fascinating to examine the differences between the two adaptations.
The same high points exist in both, sometimes the dialogue even matches. The characters are mostly the same, though the film’s Will, played by Paul Mescal, is warmer and more family oriented than Rory Alexander’s Will on stage. The line from late in the film, “you weren’t here” for instance, now has a resonance because the on stage Will often is not there, spending more time in London than his family would like, and Agnes complains. Agnes’s ugly relationship with her stepmother Joan is fleshed out in the play, as is the turbulent relationship between Will and his father, played on stage by the scene-stealing Nigel Barrett. Act One of the play takes twenty minutes on film.
The film zooms into the family surrounding Shakespeare’s young son. The play tells a more broader story, how Shakespeare became Shakespeare. Jessie Buckley’s Agnes is someone we deeply care about, almost a modern woman dropped five hundred years into the past. Kemi-Bo Jacobs’ Agnes on stage is extremely difficult. There’s a reason why it takes a while for the other characters to warm up to her. She’s often loud and angry, with an annoying cadence in her voice. It’s almost no wonder that Will wants to spend so much time in London. Which is likely the more authentic performance?
One other thing: the film nails the ending. The play, not so much.
But then again, here we have a top-notch British production, the kind you’d only see in Stratford-on-Avon or maybe the West End, in person, with a massive gorgeous set, and actors who have been studying Shakespeare since infancy. People travel to England for productions like this, whatever their flaws. And now it’s right at your front door.
The Royal Shakespeare Company and Neal Street productions Hamnet plays at ACT’s Toni Rembe Theatre through May 24th. For more information go to act-sf.org. I’m Richard Wolinsky on Bay Area theatre for KPFA.