James Norton is to take on his first major Shakespearean stage role and play Hamlet in the West End next year.
The King & Conqueror star said it was a “privilege” and “pretty terrifying” to be cast as the tragic prince in the acclaimed German director Thomas Ostermeier’s production next autumn. Norton was last on stage in 2023 in the harrowing A Little Life, based on Hanya Yanagihara’s novel, which the actor described as the hardest thing he has ever done.
Ostermeier first staged his acclaimed version of Hamlet in 2008 and it visited London in 2011, with the title role played by Lars Eidinger who prowled among the audience and even snatched a critic’s notepad. The director, who has been based at the Schaubühne in Berlin since 1999, said: “I am pleased to be revisiting Hamlet for the West End … It will be my first time directing Shakespeare in English, and I am excited to explore the original text in order to bring this new production to life. My first Hamlet has been touring the world for 18 years so I am honoured to have the opportunity to bring it here to London with James, who in my mind is a perfect Prince of Denmark.”
As a student at Cambridge University in 2006, Norton played Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, staged by Robert Icke. The following year, Norton was Posthumus in a production of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline at Cambridge Arts theatre, directed by Trevor Nunn for the Marlowe Society. In 2016, Norton starred as Richard II in a short film, part of the Complete Walk series for Shakespeare’s Globe which played for free at locations along the banks of the Thames in London to mark the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.
Known for a radical and bold approach to the classics, Ostermeier recently had two star-powered hits in London: The Seagull led by Cate Blanchett and An Enemy of the People with Matt Smith. Norton praised the intriguing and challenging nature of the director’s work. “It’s a privilege for anyone to take on the role of Hamlet,” he said. “It’s also pretty terrifying! But with Thomas Ostermeier at the helm, I know I could not be in better hands.”
Hamlet is produced by Wessex Grove and Gavin Kalin Productions. Its venue, dates and further casting details are yet to be announced.
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