The other week, we went to see Shakespeare’s Hamlet at the Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford
This wasn’t just any production, it was a specially adapted version that incorporated Radiohead’s Hail to the Thief as a haunting soundtrack
The marketing described it as “haunted” by the album, and rightly so
Radiohead’s frontman, Thom Yorke, had reworked the music into a deconstructed score, performed live onstage, adding an intense, atmospheric layer to the play
If that wasn’t fascinating enough, the entire performance was delivered with BSL (British Sign Language)
The interpreter didn’t just stand to the side, she was fully integrated into the production, in costume and interacting with the actors onstage
After the play, there was a 30-minute Q&A session
Questions were asked in BSL, and the interpreter shared insights into how she learned the play and her creative process in bringing it to life alongside the cast
It was a powerful reminder that theatre, when combined with music and accessibility, can break boundaries and open up Shakespeare’s timeless words to new audiences in ways that are both inclusive and profoundly moving
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