Hamnet is a heartbreak you embrace with open arms. An anatomy of loss and grief involves a rich backstory of a life-changing love story, being reborn by that love, and the wounds of death.
Maggie O’Farrell‘s Hamnet currently exists in three forms: her original book, the Oscar-nominated movie, and a play. The play is closer to the essence and the bones of the book, but also takes its own liberties when birthing this version of the story.
It includes a bit more of Will’s life at the playhouse and other slight additions that give these characters more depth. Whereas the book is a bit more subtle about Agnes’s potential otherworldly abilities, the play fully leans into her divine nature and Mother Earth qualities.
Agnes and Will’s marriage represents the union of magic and art — a natural combination that grows into an unbreakable bond with the proper nurturing. The chemistry between Agnes and Will is the initial draw of their story. They seem so different but destined.
Therefore, their characters work best when you automatically blush watching them on stage together. Kemi-Bo Jacobs and Rory Alexander star as Agnes and Will. They immediately incite these feelings of intruding on something intimate, private, passionate, powerful, and rare.
Agnes’s fierceness comes across in how Jacobs makes her a little bit rough around the edges, but with a divinity that makes her hard to forget or turn away from. Alexander automatically has the grandiosity of someone who will change the literary world forever. Just unbeknownst to him.
Nigel Barrett and Ajani Cabey play dual roles in Hamnet. They also give some of the best performances in it. Barrett plays Will’s brute of a father, John, and one of Shakespeare’s famous collaborators, Will Kempe.
He plays each character so differently that you wouldn’t notice it was the same actor if his appearance changed easily. A mark of an astounding actor is his ability to transform himself from one character to another to the point that you question your eyes.
Cabey’s Hamnet has all the innocence and playfulness of a young child, while being layered to allow you to imagine the adult he could have become.
The play Hamnet takes this already profound and heartbreaking story and adds layers to push it further narratively. The changes work, but the heart of the story takes precedence. The love for Hamnet comes across in Agnes, Judith, Susana, and Will.
It also does in the way Lolita Chakrabarti and Erica Whyman adapt and direct this production. Fans of the book and movie will love this edition. Each feels a little different in its approach and execution, so the story never feels repetitive.
It’s the story of Hamnet told in three vibrant and distinct ways. The play mesmerizes you in the love story, crushes you in the story of loss, and finds a way to touch upon every emotion.
If you have a chance, see this breathtaking play. Either at its limited run at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater or catch it as it tours the US. It’s worth the anguish of this beautiful, life-changing story.
Hamnet is playing at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater until March 8, 2026. With planned US tour stops in Washington and San Francisco. Visit the Royal Shakespeare Company for more details.
