Student review: Hamlet

The National Theatre is touring an adaptation of Hamlet, designed for audiences aged 8–12 years old. Written by Jude Christian, the production was originally directed by Tinuke Craig, and this particular revival is directed by Ellie Hurt. The six-week tour into school halls reached over 8,000 young people in total, and visited seven areas including Thurrock, Knowsley, Tameside, Blackpool, Blackburn, Lincolnshire and Havering. Here, one student from Micklehurst All Saints Primary School shares their thoughts.

This was a Shakespearean showcase in our hometown and our first introduction to the world of this famous playwright. The Year 5 class and I journeyed to Mossley Hollins High School to watch an amazing play, first published in 1603. The walk was only up a hill, and it was all worth it for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.

The show was amazing: some scenes were funny, some were tense, some were scary, but overall, I’d do anything to see it again. One of my favourite scenes was the sword fight – it was really impactful, but it was so scary that I got the chills. I loved the ghost scene, it was the most frightening bit, and the ghost was really tall. My favourite character was probably Hamlet himself, because he had lots of the tense moments, which were my favourite bits.

After the show had ended, I felt more inspired to watch more shows and even become a playwright when I’m older. I would love to go and watch more shows at the theatre. I absolutely loved this experience – and my class and I would do it all over again. I thought it would be completely different, and the use of music really surprised me but definitely made for a better experience.

One thing I would change is that I would give the audience members chairs. It would have made it a more comfortable experience because my legs were sore after sitting down on the floor for that long. Despite this, it was still an amazing, immersive experience.