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Radiohead’s vocalist and frontman Thom Yorke has been working alongside Tony award-winning directors Christine Jones and Steve Hoggatt to bring his ideas to life. The show is a modern adaptation of the Shakespeare classic ‘Hamlet’, which Radiohead announced the production of on Instagram in 2024, sharing Yorke’s nerves and excitement to attempt this new project.    

 

 

 

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‘Hamlet: Hail to the Thief’ premiered in Aviva Studios in Manchester in April and will continue to show here until 18 May. In June, the production will then be available to attend in Stratford’s Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

Radiohead’s ‘Hail to the Thief’ did not originally come to be with inspiration from Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The band explained the inspiration for the record and its political focus in interviews upon its release. With Hamlet’s themes on power and corruption, the relationship between the two projects makes for an exciting production. 

Yorke explained in an interview with The Observer, that he realised the connection between ‘Hail to the Thief’ and Hamlet long after the album’s creation. Director Jones also shared that she found a relationship between the play’s dialogue and the album’s lyricism. Here, Yorke went on to reveal his initial hesitation, thinking Hamlet was “untouchable”. However, he pressed on with the production since “the idea didn’t go away”. When reimagining the album as a theatrical performance, Yorke considered how the music would translate to live theatre, expressing that he wanted, “a band playing, but rather than an orchestra in a pit, actually playing. Not playing as a covers band.” 

The trailer is dark and ominous, sparking excitement with fans. Those who have seen the Manchester premiere have shared images from the show, revelling in the magic of the production.

Words cannot express the experience that was Halmet Hail to the Thief. #HailtotheThief #hamlet #avivastudios pic.twitter.com/Xmw76vZEjy

— Dara (@GhostofDara) April 27, 2025

Yorke’s creative endeavours reach great heights in theatre and music, with an upcoming album ‘Tall Tales’ with Mark Prichard along with a global screening event on 8 May. Tickets are available here, and tickets for upcoming dates of ‘Hamlet: Hail to the Thief’ can be found on the Factory International website and the Royal Shakespeare Company website.

‘A Complicated Woman’ provides a feel-good sound while tackling hard hitting issues for the singer surrounding ageing, drinking and sexuality. 

Alongside the album release, Self Esteem has shared a music video for the closing track ‘The Deep Blue Okay’. The video shows the singer alone in a dark backdrop in a costume inspired by ‘The Handmaid’s Tale’, the hit TV show which highlights themes of female oppression and identity. Self Esteem has stated in an interview with The Times that this costume is “my nod to women being hanged for having opinions”. She peels this off as she sings, eventually expressing the emotionally charged track in a sweatshirt and joggers.

Self Esteem has performed a series of UK acoustic shows in the week of her album release at smaller venues such as Leeds Beckett Student Union and Pryzm, Kingston. She shared intimate performances of her most vulnerable songs to fans, including ‘I Do This All The Time’ from ‘Prioritise Pleasure’.

@tigerb.ph the day this song doesn’t make me cry will be a miracle #selfesteem #rebeccalucytaylor #idothisallthetime #prioritisepleasure #acomplicatedwoman #newmusic #newalbum #acoustic #livemusic #leeds #yorkshiremusic #focusispower #fyp #6music @SELF ESTEEM ♬ original sound – Tiger Brooke

The bold, experimental singer has an impressive performance background, having previously been involved in the indie band Slow Club formed in 2006 in which she played drums, guitar and vocals. Following this, Taylor broke out as a solo pop artist, sharing in an interview with The Guardian that she was “tired of being this sweet heterosexual lady in a band”. With her new stage name, she has released three studio albums with her debut ‘Compliments Please’ in 2019. 

Self Esteem has also made her mark in the world of theatre as she has in the pop music scene, making her West End acting debut with her role in Cabaret in 2023.

Her experience in musical theatre has led to exciting music efforts for the artist. To set off the album release, Self Esteem put on a show-stopping performance of ‘A Complicated Woman’ at London’s Duke of York’s Theatre.  The performance showcases dynamic choreography for dance-pop track ‘Mother’, contrasting with a choral, emotive rendition of the poetically striking track ‘In Plain Sight’. Fans have shared their amazement at the theatrical recreation of the album on social media.  

@firth_ Self Esteem presents A COMPLICATED WOMAN Every time I close my eyes this show is playing over and over and I never want that to stop. @SELF ESTEEM #selfesteem #acomplicatedwoman #complicatedwoman #getRLTtonumber10 #rlt #prioritisepleasure ♬ original sound – laura

Self Esteem will be embarking on a UK and Ireland tour for her latest album in September 2025. Tickets can be found on her website. 

Songs from Hail To The Thief, released over 20 years ago, will be deconstructed and remoulded into a score to be performed by live musicians and cast members. Thom Yorke will taking the musical helm, after having proved himself as a composer for previous soundtracks, including Confidenza this year and 2018’s Suspiria. His upcoming orchestrations were commented upon by the frontman himself.

According to a post he made on Instagram, he says:

“This is an interesting and intimidating challenge adapting the original music of Hail to The Thief for live performance with the actors on stage to tell this story that is forever being told, using its familiarity and sounds, pulling them into and out of context.. seeing what chimes with the underlying grief and paranoia of Hamlet, using the music as a “presence” in the room, watching how it collides with the action and the text. Ghosting one against the other.”

Thom worked alongside designer & director Christine Jones and director & choreographer Steven Hoggett to create a new adaptation of Shakespeare’s Hamlet - a tragedy about a son who has to find his own way, after his father is murdered. Who could forget Disney’s The Lion King hugely popular adaptation!

After vividly remembering hearing the album for the first-time, Christine Jones makes the case to use Hail To The Thief:

“It changed my DNA,” she recalled. “Not long after, I was reading Hamlet and listening to the album. Paying attention to the lyrics, I became aware of how many songs from Hail to the Thief speak to the themes of the play.

“There are uncanny reverberances between the text and the album. For years I’ve wanted to see the play and album collide in a piece of theatre. Eventually I shared the idea with Thom, who was intrigued.

“I wasn’t sure what we would make, but I knew I wanted to make it with Steven [Hoggett] and continue experimenting and building on work we have done together over many years.”

She added: “We’ve found that the play haunts the album, and the album haunts the play. Both reflect the internal disquiet and rage that result from despair – in particular despair arising from scrutiny of dominant power structures – whether within governments, communities, or families.”

It doesn’t seem much of a stretch, as Radiohead share another William Shakespeare adaptation, after they featured Talk Show Host.on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo and Juliet (1996).

Radiohead’s foray into the theatre world will commence with the production’s world premiere taking place at Aviva Studios, Manchester, home of Factory International from 27th April – 18th May 2025, before moving to the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon from 4th – 28th June 2025.

If you subscribe to W.A.S.T.E., – the official Radiohead and Radiohead-related news, tour tickets and merchandise – you can get early access to tickets on Tuesday 1st October 2024 at 10am BST. Otherwise, tickets are available on general sale on Wednesday 2nd October 2024.

The description for ‘Bangers’ on the Arcola Theatre’s website describes the show as a  ‘5* Edinburgh smash hit’ and promises an ‘exhilarating night of original music, lyrical storytelling, and pure UK garage vibes’. It poses the question ‘How do the bangers we grew up listening to shape who we are today?’.

The show was written by Danusia Samal and directed by Chris Sonnex. ‘Bangers’ features original tracks that take inspiration from the music that defined the early 2000s as well as today’s R&B and Garage scene that has gripped so much of the UK. Samal’s writing is ‘constructed in the style of an album – and you can’t help but want to sway along to the songs’ writes the Guardian in a review of the musical from 2020. The show ‘follows the highs and lows of two strangers struggling with their own pasts, while hurtling towards the future’. It is set in urban London and tells a story of ‘love, sex, and the power of music’.

It boasts a truly recognisable cast which includes Tanya-Loretta Dee who has appeared in shows like Eastenders, Peaky Blinders and Doctors. She will be joined by returning cast members and writer of the show Danusia Samal who can be seen in The Serial Killer’s Wife and Jim Caesar who appeared in Netflix’s drama mini-series, Baby Reindeer as well as one of the UK’s most loves murder mystery series, Death in Paradise and also The Witcher.

Originally commissioned by London’s Soho Theatre, the team are partnering up with Arcola, Cardboard Citizens, and Cardboard Collective to create a ‘community-driven wrap-around activity’ in which events will be set up to support and encourage emerging artists and young creatives who’ve a passion for theatre and music. The community programme will also provide aid and a safe space for those struggling with themes that are touched on in the show ‘such as housing insecurity, homelessness, and the challenges of growing up in urban areas’ as mixmag writes

‘Bangers’ vows to provide an unforgettable night of exhilarating music and anyone who is a fan of the electronic scene should definitely give it a watch. ‘Bangers’ bodes a striking experience for audiences with a number of five star reviews including the Guardian deeming it ‘galvanising and effortless, this is a must-see for music heads and non-music heads alike’. The ‘DJ’ or narrator of the performance is said to interact with the audience, creating an immersive affair as if you were at the nightclub yourself.

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Each show lasts for 70 minutes and will kick off at the theatre on the 17th of July, continuing for three weeks until the 10th of August. Tickets are selling from £12 and can be purchased from the link here along more details on the show.

A source has disclosed that he has been working on his debut solo album and that the Scottish actor has used lockdown and his acting hiatus to work on his return. As well as being a celebrated actor, Capaldi was once in a punk band. The actor’s band, The Dreamboys, were active during the 1980s and also included fellow Scottish actor Craig Ferguson. As well as his stint as the famous doctor from 2013 until 2017, Capaldi is also known for his portrayal of Malcolm Tucker. The actor starred in the British satiric TV show ‘The Thick of It’ from 2005 until the series ended in 2012. The actor has also won an Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film and the BAFTA Award for Best Shirt Film, both accolades were for his short film released in 1993 entitled ‘Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life’. Capaldi is also set to star in the next DC film, ‘The Suicide Squad‘, the actor will play the villain called The Thinker.

The source has spoken with The Sun magazine’s column Bizarre concerning Capaldi’s return to music and provided an update on the status of the album’s release.  “Peter has been a huge music fan for years and was doing that before his acting career properly took off. That stopped him from singing and making music for a while but in recent years he has got back into it and put some music out just for the joy of it. But when the lockdown struck, it felt like the perfect opportunity to get his head down and work on a full project of his own. He has finished his bits for the album and it is just being mixed at the moment so it shouldn’t be too long before fans get to hear it. He is not expecting it to be as big as Lewis’ records but Peter has really enjoyed working on it and reckons that his followers will like it.”

The source mentioned the name ‘Lewis’, referring to the Scottish singer Lewis Capaldi. Both recently discovered that they were distant relatives and met in 2018 when the actor came to see the Brit award winner perform at the London club, Scala. Peter Capaldi even stared in Lewis’ music video for the smash hit ‘Someone you Loved’, released in 2018.

The 2020 Grammy award nominee has spoken about how the family connection was somewhat of an open secret within his immediate family, stating that they are distant cousins. The singer has said: “My dad and my aunties told me we were related to Peter a while ago, I think he’s my dad’s second cousin. Whenever he came on the TV they’d always say “You’re related to Malcolm Tucker” or “you’re related to Doctor Who. None of us had met him though so when my agent mentioned he’d been in touch asking about coming to my show in London I said “yes, of course!” He came backstage afterwards to say hello and we had a great chat. We talked a bit about the family connection and he said he really liked the music, so that was really nice of him. He’s a really cool guy. It’s a big inspiration to have someone who’s so successful in the family.”

Peter Capaldi can currently be seen staring in the West End production of ‘Constellations‘, alongside legendary actress Zoe Wanamaker. The production opened on 23rd June 2021 and will run with its current cast until 24th July 2021. Ticket holders can see the iconic actors perform at the Vaudeville Theatre within these dates, after-which the main characters will portrayed by a new actor duo.

Allen described the play in the Guardian as “a meditation on marriage and relationships and family” as well as a “brilliant investigation into the ghosts that haunt us”, and she spoke about how much she enjoyed the live performance aspect of her career and how engaging spontaneously with audiences is what she is most looking forward to about the play. In a statement, Allen said that “I feel that stepping into this play is an exciting natural extension of [live performance] and affords me the best of all worlds. I get to explore mature subject matter, be a woman with a real point of view and show the West End audiences how much I love live performance and being in front of an audience. I can’t wait.”

Her co-stars include Julia Chan of “Silent House”, Jake Wood (who played Max Branning in EastEnders), and Hadley Fraser of “City of Angels”. The story centres around a dinner party where the four friends plan to stay up late to see if they can identify the noise Allen’s character, Jenny, hears every night at 2:22 am. The noise has led her to believe her new home is haunted, but her husband Sam (played by Fraser) remains unconvinced.

Writer Danny Robins describes the play as exploring “the clash between belief and scepticism through a couple’s relationship”, while Olivier-award nominated director Matthew Dunster describes it as a clash between horror and social commentary with a suspenseful atmosphere.

The play will open at the Noel Coward theatre in August.