Introduction
In the ever-evolving world of Shakespearean theatre, director Martin Hutson brings a bold, fresh perspective to one of the Bard’s most iconic tragedies.
In this exclusive interview, Hutson discusses his innovative production of Hamlet – a tightly edited, two-hour modern-dress version set entirely within the decaying private chambers of the dead king.
A standout feature is his decision to cast five actors as different facets of Hamlet, externalizing the prince’s inner chaos: the tumbling thoughts, ethical dilemmas, philosophical noise, grief, and mental health struggles that paralyze him amid his quest for revenge. Drawing from his own experience as an actor (including playing Laertes in a 1998 Hamlet at Birmingham Rep), Hutson explores why the play remains profoundly challenging centuries later, the enduring power of lines like “To be or not to be,” and the timeless relevance of Shakespeare’s insights into the human condition.
From the symbolic erasure of memory in a dust-sheet-covered apartment to the broader joys and pitfalls of staging the “enormous” text, Hutson offers candid, insightful reflections on directing, acting, and keeping Shakespeare alive for today’s audiences.
Read on for his thoughts on this radical reimagining and the future of classical theatre.
Bibliography
Martin Hutson is a British actor and theatre director known for his work in classical and contemporary theatre, with a strong focus on Shakespeare.
Trained at RADA, he has performed at the RSC, National Theatre, and West End under directors like Richard Eyre, Michael Grandage, and Declan Donnellan. He played Laertes in Hamlet (Birmingham Rep, 1998) and was twice nominated for the Ian Charleson Award. TV credits include The Honorable Woman and Tutankhamun.
Now focusing on directing, he has staged The 39 Steps, Art, Blackbird, Twelfth Night, Henry V, and Steven Berkoff’s Actor at venues including Royal Welsh College, East Riding Theatre, Norwich Playhouse, and major drama schools (LAMDA, Guildhall).
In a recent Hamlet, he directed a two-hour modern version set in the decaying private apartment of the dead king, using five actors to portray different facets of Hamlet’s inner turmoil, grief, ethics, and mental health struggles – especially in “To be or not to be.”
He is developing adaptations of The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Conversation, a Kafka-inspired Boxed, and a musical Medea.
Interview
Could you introduce yourself and your role in this production?
Hello, my name is Martin Hutson and I’m the director of Hamlet.
Can you talk about this version of Hamlet you're bringing to the stage - or perhaps these Hamlets?
Our production of Hamlet is an edited version, roughly two hours long instead of the usual four and a half. It’s set in modern day, specifically in the dead king’s private apartment within the palace – his own chambers where he studied, slept, and lived. The king has been dead for two months, and Hamlet has been hanging out there while grieving his father.
The entire play takes place in this one space. We watch the apartment gradually being closed down and covered in dust sheets, as if it’s being erased and forgotten. This feels like a perfect environment for Hamlet, who is desperately trying to keep his father’s memory alive and to avenge his death, while surrounded by his father’s possessions that are being forcefully removed.
Another key aspect is that we have five Hamlets. This started partly because we’re directing it at a drama school, where Hamlet is such an enormous role that it seemed unfair to give it to a single student. But as we explored the idea, it took on a life of its own.
The play is about a brilliant young man with an overwhelming amount of noise in his head – a tumbling of thoughts about life, existence, ethics, and philosophy. So many voices and ideas that it almost paralyzes him. He has a clear purpose (revenge), yet it’s arrested by his grappling with ethics. Physicalizing these multiple aspects of Hamlet on stage – different viewpoints and voices-adds texture and allows us to explore his intellect in a vivid way.
It also ties into questions about Hamlet’s mental health. His famous “To be or not to be” monologue is a serious, beautifully articulated contemplation of suicide. Taking it seriously shows a young man in real trouble. Having multiple Hamlets becomes a powerful device to explore that inner turmoil.
Why do you think Hamlet is still considered one of Shakespeare's most challenging plays to perform, even centuries later?
Hamlet remains challenging because it’s enormous. The full text runs about four and a half hours and contains everything you could want in a play: profound discussions of existence, justice, the afterlife, love, personal responsibility, parents and children – it’s absolutely massive.
As a playwright, if I’d written Hamlet, I’d feel like I’d said it all, yet Shakespeare went on to write many more masterpieces. The sheer scale makes it a huge thing to tackle.
It’s filled with this bright young man articulating complex philosophical ideas, which risks turning the play into an intellectual exercise – like four hours of TED Talks. That’s interesting, but not necessarily dramatic. One challenge is finding the drama and forward momentum within those speeches and ideas, while remembering it’s still a revenge tragedy with real action.
Another issue is familiarity: audiences already know the story and how it ends. It can be a lot to ask them to invest time in a tale they think they know, so a production has to earn that engagement.
What is the most revolutionary or inspiring Shakespearean production you've ever seen, and why was it important to you?
There have been many inspiring ones, but certain directors stand out. Early on, Bill Alexander opened up Shakespeare for me. Michael Grandage’s work is fleet and fast-moving, paced at the speed of thought – never indulgent.
I saw an extraordinary Coriolanus by Robert Lepage that was inventive and full of ideas. But Declan Donnellan’s productions always excite me most. They’re often in bare, transitional spaces with beautiful, curated designs by Nick Ormerod. The emptiness makes the language and actors central. He’s unafraid of poetry, physical metaphor, or expressive non-naturalism. After years of work, he remains inventive and brave – that keeps Shakespeare alive for me.
Why do you think "To be or not to be" remains one of Shakespeare's most iconic lines?
“To be or not to be” is remarkable. It’s just six monosyllabic words – really four, with two repeated. A child could learn it, and people across nations recognise the phrase.
Yet it captures one of the most profound human questions: the root of our existence on the planet, something humanity has wrestled with for thousands of years. It’s extraordinarily efficient and deceptively simple. You could talk about it for hours, and that’s what makes it amazing.
Is there something you think audiences often misunderstand about Shakespearean theatre?
Shakespearean theater gets a bad rap because the language can be difficult to hear and understand. It requires effort from both the production (to make it clear and accessible) and the audience (to meet it halfway – you can’t just sit back; you have to lean in and engage).
Bad productions exist, and a poor one can be unbearable, easily putting people off. But when it connects, it’s extraordinary.
For me, Shakespeare is one of the most important influences in my life. I don’t have religion, but his keen eye and articulation show that people 400 years ago had exactly the same thoughts, problems, experiences, and moments we do today. That’s both comforting and terrifying – some problems and attitudes haven’t changed.
Art’s purpose, for me, is to make us feel less alone. Shakespeare shows shared human experience across centuries, and that’s amazing.
You once played Laertes in Hamlet at the Birmingham Rep, and now you're directing the play. What is something you didn't fully understand as an actor that you now do as a director?
As an actor slowly transitioning to more directing, I’ve learned that while actors are vitally important, they’re just one part of a greater whole. As an actor, you can feel like you carry the entire production’s responsibility. In reality, there are other actors, the script, lighting, sound, design, stage management, props – all helping tell the story.
This has made me a better actor. I now understand I don’t carry full responsibility; the production supports the storytelling. It’s a relief. It’s taught me to shut up sometimes, get on with it, and recognise that a scene isn’t always about me. The story might be elsewhere – not me crying in the corner. Knowing where you fit is healthy.
What advice would you give to young actors interested in moving into directing someday?
Just do it. Actors can learn so much from directing.
I sometimes bring an actor to sit beside me to watch a scene, helping them see clarity from the outside. Ultimately, we’re aiming for clarity: things are either clear or unclear to the audience. We can choose ambiguity if it serves the story, but bad theatre is often just unclear theatre – the dynamics blur, and people get lost about what to watch or what’s happening.
It’s hard to see the full picture from inside the scene. Stepping to the other side of the footlights gives you that wider view. I’d recommend any actor try it – to better understand their job, their profession, and how everything fits together.
Finally, if you could direct any play you haven't directed yet, what would it be and why?
The play I’d most like to direct is A Public Reading of an Unproduced Screenplay About the Death of Walt Disney by Lucas Hnath. It’s a one-act play where Walt Disney, his daughter, his brother, and his son-in-law perform a staged reading of a screenplay Walt has supposedly written about the last part of his life.
It’s about a mogul desperately trying to control the narrative of his life and how history will see him. The form (a reading) and content are perfectly united. It’s funny, desperate, ruthless, solipsistic, and single-minded. I’ve never seen anything quite like it, and it feels incredibly relevant – especially to current events around controlling narratives by any means. It’s brilliant, concise, and I’d love to direct it.
Thank you so much – this has been great!
Interview by Zeb Díaz
Photography by Sergi Panizo
