Hamnet, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Sidney Harman Hall, Washington, DC

 

Rory Alexander as William Shakespeare and Kami-Jo Jacobs as Agnes in the Royal Shakespeare Company production of Hamnet, currently at the Shakespeare Theatre Company's Harman Hall.

Many years ago in elementary school, I discovered a series of books that purported to be biographies of famous people, including their experiences as children. I think that one of the first was about Elias Howe (who invented the sewing machine) and another was about Robert Fulton (who is credited with the steamboat). Other inventors were included, but so were figures from American history like George Washington and Benjamin Franklin (who I suppose also counts as an inventor). The only female I can remember from that series was Queen Liliuokalani of Hawaii, though I hope there were others, as well as diverse representatives of other nations and cultures. Certainly I hope that a similar series today would be inclusive of underrepresented groups.

What I did not know at the time was that what I was reading was historical fiction – stories drawing from some of the known details of the person’s life, but largely products of the writer’s imagination. Maggie O’Farrell’s 2020 novel Hamnet is one such historical novel, which is the source material for both a current film (with screenplay by O’Farrell and director Chloe Zhao) and the Royal Shakespeare Company’s production, first produced in 2023 and now onstage at Washington’s Shakespeare Theatre Company, with a script described as “adapted by Lolita Chakrabarti.” Full disclosure: I have not read the novel and have delayed seeing the film until after seeing the play. I expect, however, that the three versions will be different from each other, drawing on the unique aspects of each form: novel, film, and play, each an example of that particular genre’s parameters.

While much is known about William Shakespeare as the most famous playwright in history (I think I am safe in claiming that), not as much is known about Shakespeare as a person, especially as a young one, or as a husband and father. We do know that he married young to a slightly older woman (we know her primarily as Anne Hathaway, though the play calls her Agnes), and that they had three children – Susanna and the twins Hamnet and Judith. We know that Shakespeare spent more time away from than at home for the majority of his marriage and that Hamnet died at the age of 11 as a result of bubonic plague.

The play suggests much more, some of which is verified. Both Shakespeare’s parents and Agnes’s stepmother disapproved of their marriage, but accepted it because Agnes was pregnant. Young William and Agnes are portrayed as lusty and in love, getting by while living in an annex to the Shakespeares’ house. The marriage has its share of ups and downs, but both are portrayed as loving parents.

Rory Alexander as William Shakespeare and Kami-Bo Jacobs as Agnes in Hamnet. Photo credit: Kyle Flubacker.

As adapted by Chakrabarti from O’Farrell’s novel, the play stands alone, telling an intriguing story about fascinating, distinctive characters, and providing a theatre company with rich source material for staging a masterful production that can be meaningful to an audience who knows little (if anything) about Shakespeare and especially appreciated by those who know more about him.

Director Erica Whyman manages the actors and the technical elements, crisply modulating tensions, emotions, and movement. Of the last, movement director Ayse Tashkiran and fight director Kate Waters make contributions that fit seamlessly. The set, designed by Tom Piper, provides an ever-changing framework within which the action takes place. Making excellent use of a few ladders, platforms, and movable, sometimes-interlocking tables and some well-chosen props, we can envision a variety of locations. Piper is also responsible for the costume designs, wholly appropriate for period and character, and creatively unexpected, especially as Agnes’s pregnancies develop. (In a beautiful and very evocative scene, Agnes holds a wadded-up sheet to her stomach as two actors envelop her several times in a long white sheath, appearing almost as angels.) The work of lighting designer Prema Mehta, composer Oguz Kaplangi, and sound designer Simon Baker make contributions that add to the effectiveness of the production.

And the acting! Every word, every movement, every expression is communicated truthfully and sincerely. Kemi-Bo Jacobs as Agnes demonstrates amazing versatility and intensity as she is, by turns, playful, romantic, suffering, ecstatic, maternal, and at least a dozen other emotions. Rory Alexander as William matches Jacobs beat for beat when they are together and communicates both his love for his family and his love for his writing, trying to keep both sides of his life in balance.

Many of the other cast members play multiple roles, creating completely separate characters with minimal physical changes. Nigel Barrett brings a robust presence in his roles as John (Shakespeare’s Father) and actor Will Kemp. Scenes between Shakespeare, Kemp, and actor Richard Burbage (played by Bert Seymour, who also appears as Father John) are jewels that delight theatre aficionados. Historically, Burbage was the lead in many original Shakespeare productions. Hearing him question Shakespeare about why he always has to die in his roles is a lively bon mot. Another meaningful bit is the confusion over which twins match which in Comedy of Errors (staged colorfully and memorably at STC in the fall of 2023).

Nicki Hobday commands the stage as Joan (the stereotypical stepmother) and elicits both gasps and howls in her appearances. As twins Hamnet and Judith, Ajani Cabey and Saffron Dey are ideally matched and give sympathetic performances. Cabey also appears as an actor in Shakespeare’s Hamlet, eerily bringing life to the character and helping to break through Agnes’s resentment at her husband’s use of their son’s life in his play.

Saffron Dey as Judith and Ajani Cabey as Hamnet in Hamnet. Photo credit: Kyle Flubacler.

The cast includes Troy Alexander, Elizabeth Connick, Heather Forster, Karl Hynes, Ava Hinds-Jones, Penny Layden, and Matilda McCarthy. Each is indispensable to creating the world in which these characters live.

We must remind ourselves that Hamnet is historical fiction, which just might be true – if we choose to accept it as such. But it succeeds (beautifully) in portraying Shakespeare the icon as Shakespeare the son, lover, husband, and father, as well as the writer. Somehow, I believe that brings us much closer to him and his plays.

I expect that, when the year is over, Hamnet will prove to be one of the most memorable and indelible of all of the productions I will see, at STC or elsewhere. Now it’s time to see the film and then to read the novel.