CHICAGO—So little is known about Shakespeare’s private life that even speculation about what happened behind the scenes is heralded. That may explain why “Hamnet,” originally a 2020 novel by Maggie O’Farrell, was adapted for the stage in 2023 and then again into a movie in 2025. The stage adaptation, now an enthralling production by Lolita Chakrabarti, is starting a U.S. tour by the Royal Shakespeare Company in partnership with Neal Street Productions at the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.
“Hamnet” follows the life of William Shakespeare (1564–1616) and his wife, Agnes. It offers a fictional account of how the tragic early death of their son Hamnet influenced the tragedy of “Hamlet,” which many consider the greatest of all Shakespeare’s works.
A Compelling Production
The narrative begins in Stratford-upon-Avon, England. Shakespeare, here called Will (Rory Alexander, compelling as the young Shakespeare), falls in love with Agnes Hathway (Kemi-Bo Jacobs, in an exceptional portrayal). In the 16th century, the “g” wasn’t pronounced, so her name sounds like Anne.
The story unfolds in a typical manner. They marry and have three children: Susanna (Ava Hinds Jones) and twins Judith (Saffron Dey) and Hamnet (fine performance by Ajani Cabey, who portrays both Hamnet and later Hamlet). We see the youthful Shakespeare tutoring his children in Latin, and going back and forth from his family to London where his career as an actor and playwright is developing.
William (Rory Alexander) and his wife Agnes (Kemi-Bo Jacobs), in “Hamnet.” (Kyle Flubacker)In the second act, a decade later, we watch as Judith and Hamnet play together as children. They learn about Shakespeare’s burgeoning career as a playwright with the Globe Theatre in London. The story then switches back to Shakespeare’s family life as he rushes home to find that Hamnet has died.
Throughout the play, there are scenes from Shakespearean theatricals that include “Hamlet,” rehearsal moments from “Romeo and Juliet,” “A Midsummer Night’s Dream,” and “Measure for Measure.”
Shakespeare (Rory Alexander) is lost in thought, in “Hamnet.” (Kyle Flubacker)Superbly directed by Erica Whyman, the show is presented against a landscape of versatile wooden scaffolding by Tom Piper, who designed it. The set effortlessly shifts from country cottage to the Globe Theatre stage. Piper not only recreated another place but also imagined another time with his period costumes.
The action moves swiftly back and forth from Stratford to London. The change in time and place provides a feeling of action and gives an interesting insight into what Shakespeare’s personal life might have been. It also highlights Agnes’s grief over losing a child that overwhelms everything in her life. She shrieks with tears of pain and guilt and blames Shakespeare for not having been a proper father and husband.
The most important aspect of the work, though, is the suggestion that Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” was inspired by the death of Hamnet (1585–1596). While an interesting speculation, there’s no proof for the connection. Indeed, according to Shakespearean scholars, Hamnet may have been named after a baker and close family friend in Stratford—Hamnet Sadler. The friendship of Shakespeare and Sadler is apparent because Shakespeare, according to a Yale Historical Review article by Samantha Moon, left money in his will to Sadler.
Shakespeare fans and theatergoers will thoroughly enjoy this production, but they should realize that the story is conjecture; it’s a fiction about how Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” was created. Shakespearean scholar James Shapiro, in the New York Review, believes Shakespeare based “Hamlet” on the ancient Scandinavian legend of Amleth. Saxo Grammaticus is a 12th-century saga about a prince who feigns madness to avenge his father’s murder.
Eliza (Heather Forster, L) and Agnes (Kemi-Bo Jacobs), in “Hamnet.” (Kyle Flubacker)Although the connection between Hamnet and “Hamlet” is an alternate history, the play is nevertheless a gripping and poignant story of love, family, and the spiritual ability and fortitude of humanity to overcome life’s most devastating struggles.
‘Hamnet’
Chicago Shakespeare Theater
800 E. Grand Ave., Navy Pier, Chicago
Tickets: 312-595-5600 or ChicagoShakes.com
Runs: 2 hours, 30 minutes (one intermission)
Closes: March 8, 2026
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