‘A chance – and a very scary one’: James Norton to play Hamlet in the West End | Theater

James Norton takes on his first major Shakespearean role playing Hamlet in a play West End next year.

The King & Conqueror Star said it was a “privilege” and “very scary” to be cast as the tragic prince in acclaimed German director Thomas Ostermeier’s production next autumn. Norton was last on stage in 2023 in A Little Troubled Life, based on the novel by Hanya Yanagihara, which the actress described as the most difficult thing she has ever done.

Ostermeier made his debut the famous version of Hamlet in 2008 and it toured in London in 2011, with the role that Lars Eidinger played in the audience until he stole the pen of the critics. The director, who has been at the Schaubühne in Berlin since 1999, said: “I am delighted to revisit Hamlet for the West End… It will be my first time directing Shakespeare in English, and I am delighted to explore the original text to create this new production. The perfect Prince of Denmark.”

As a student at Cambridge University in 2006, Norton played Don Pedro in Much Ado About Nothing, produced by Robert Icke. The following year, Norton was Posthumus in a production of Shakespeare’s Cymbeline at the Cambridge Arts theatre, directed by Trevor Nunn of the Marlowe Society. In 2016, Norton starred as Richard II in a short film, which is part of the Complete Walk of Shakespeare’s Globe which was played for free along the Thames River in London to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.

Ostermeier, who is known for his love of classics and bold classics, recently had two star-studded shows in London: The Seagull directed by Cate Blanchett and The Public Enemy by Matt Smith. Norton praised the passion and challenge of the director’s work. “It’s a privilege for anyone to take on the role of Hamlet,” he said. “It’s also very scary! But with Thomas Ostermeier at the helm, I know I couldn’t be in better hands.”

Hamlet is produced by Wessex Grove and Gavin Kalin Productions. The location, dates and other details of the screening have not been announced.