Ian McKellen on Hamlet | Hamlet in the Round | National Theatre

Описание: Ian McKellen, Rory Kinnear, Adrian Lester, Alex Jennings, Michelle Terry and Hiran Abeysekera share their insights and experiences playing Hamlet at the National Theatre and beyond, revealing the challenges and joys behind Shakespeare’s most iconic role. Generations of Hamlets come together in one unforgettable conversation led by Robert Hastie.

After its run at the National Theatre in London, the 2025 version of Hamlet directed by Robert Hastie, deputy artistic director of the National Theatre and led by Hiran Abeysekera makes its worldwide debut on cinemas this 22 January with National Theatre Live, find your venue: hamlet.ntlive.com

Audio Description version for this roundtable is available here    • Hamlet in the round (Audio Description) | ...  
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About National Theatre Live
For over 15 years, we’ve given our audience the best seat in the house.

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About the Author
William Shakespeare was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's national poet and the "Bard of Avon" or simply "the Bard". His extant works, including collaborations, consist of some 39 plays, 154 sonnets, three long narrative poems and a few other verses, some of uncertain authorship. His plays have been translated into every major living language and are performed more often than those of any other playwright. Shakespeare remains arguably the most influential writer in the English language, and his works continue to be studied and reinterpreted

About the roundtable
Throughout the 50‑minute conversation, the actors share deeply personal reflections on when Hamlet first “appeared on their professional horizon,” often unexpectedly, and how stepping into the role impacted them.

Sir Ian McKellen offers historical context spanning decades of theatrical evolution, including influential productions, set designs, and the philosophical discoveries he made portraying numerous Hamlets both as a young man and again at 81.

The roundtable also highlights the emotional resonance of performing Hamlet on film for NT Live, bringing the work to global audiences unable to see it in person — a sentiment especially meaningful to the newest Hamlet, Hiran Abeysekera, whose family in Sri Lanka can now witness his performance.

Together, these seven artists paint a rich, multigenerational portrait of Hamlet — a role that continues to challenge, provoke, and reinvent itself with every actor who dares to ask, “To be, or not to be?”

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