Hamlet at BAM
Features Hiran Abyekserka
By: Susan Hall - May 05, 2026
A vivid, kinetic Hamlet has arrived at the Harvey Theater/BAM. In this National Theatre production directed by Robert Hastie, Sri Lankan actor Hiran Abeyesekera is as memorable as he was around the corner in the Peter Brook/Marie-Helene Esitenne play , The Prisoner. The subject, once again, is crime and punishment.
While some stage and film productions expand the haunting of Hamlet’s father into a constant, suffocating presence that dictates Hamlet’s every move, Hastie’s production takes a different tack. Here, Hamlet begins as a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old student returning from Wittenberg. He is very much the teenager—bouncing about and circling his family, restless and unsure of his footing.
An engaging anti-hero, Abeysekera was likely cast, in part, because he interacts so successfully with an audience. His soliloquies—some moved to novel new placements—are delivered from the lip of the stage directly to us. Because the Harvey’s stage merges seamlessly with the front row, Abeysekera is up close and personal, often leaving the audience in stitches. It’s not your usual Hamlet response, and while the other characters can seem flat by comparison, this feels like a deliberate directorial choice to keep the focus on Hamlet's internal kinetic energy.
The production’s one jarring note is Ophelia, played by Francesca Mills. Having recently seen Dmitry Krymov’s take on Uncle Vanya, where the Professor was memorably played by a person with dwarfism, this Ophelia feels somewhat gimmicky. In Vanya, the character’s stature served the role. The Professor is a small person, not physically, but well \-represented as physically small.
Ophelia is not a small person. She is a complex young woman traditionally driven to madness by the unraveling of the man she loves. In this iteration, she comes across as ditsy. While Mills’ performance is fine on its own merits, it isn't revelatory of character.
The production design is truly magnificent. A massive backdrop portrays the wars precipitating Denmark’s downfall. The richly depicted nature scenes look like a Gainsborough painting. The opening scene, where the ghost may or may not appear, is wonderful, using huge flashlights to scan both the stage and the audience.
The "play within a play" is particularly effective, tucked into stage right at a forty-five-degree angle so it remains fully visible to both the royal court and the theater audience.
Brash, clashing sounds punctuate the transitions between scenes. Visually, floor-to-ceiling red velvet drapes serve as a constant, tactile reminder of the blood being shed.
This is a Hamlet defined by its energy and its leading man’s charisma, even if the supporting players occasionally fade into the backdrop of its lush, bloody world.
This production of the National Theater is not the story of a young man going mad. It is the story of a Prince who is torn between avenging his father and enjoying life.
At BAM thru May 17
Tickets here.