Tag Archives: Ayesha Dharker

2025

“Hamlet” at the National Theatre

Believe it or not, there are people who aren’t sure if they like Shakespeare. This new production – boasting exceptional clarity – goes a long way to help them out. For his debut as deputy artistic director at the National, Robert Hastie makes Shakespeare action packed and accessible. Strong performances, with a lot of direct addresses, make every effort to bring the audience close to the performance.

Taking the title role, Hiran Abeysekera leads the way. This is a nimble Hamlet, clearly clever and confident enough in his intelligence to show when he doesn’t know something. But he’s still the philosopher prince. He wants to discuss with us, to share confusion about parts of the play that puzzle him (and, of course, us). This isn’t always subtle – eyes roll and make contact with the crowd rather a lot. But it does make this one of the most likeable Hamlets I can remember.

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Tom Glenister Geoffrey Streatfeild and Francesca Mills

Indeed, most of the characters are more appealing than usual. Polonius (Geoffrey Streatfeild) isn’t quite the old bore we are used to – his kids joke with him and their warm family dynamic is a nice contrast with the rotten royals. Francesca Mills has a fine time as Ophelia, bringing fun and energy to her early scenes. The chemistry between the siblings is strong and Tom Glenister’s Laertes comes close to heroic (he literally has a hand in killing the King). Joe Bolland and Hari Mackinnon play Rosencrantz and Guildenstern as foppish public schoolboys… you might even feel sorry for them. Getrude’s change of heart is as rapid as her remarriage and Ayesha Dharker in the role also adds to how easy the whole production is to follow. Even Alistair Petrie’s Claudius, the clear villain of the piece, is more remorseful than usual and it’s hard to shake the impression that he’d be quite a good king.

The question will be asked – is Shakespeare being dumbed down? I don’t think so. It is true that there are few startling revelations and departures for those that know the play. But the edits are judicious and, with the exception of the music, there’s nothing silly or salacious here. Hastie has clear ideas that are executed well, with a wish to entertain his audience. There are no gimmicks – itself, a novelty – just a lot of good work.

Until 22 November 2025

www.nationaltheatre.org.uk

Photos Sam Taylor

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“King Troll (the Fawn)” at the New Diorama Theatre

Sonali Bhattacharyya adds an ingenious element to her story about immigration. After sisters Nikita and Riya, in danger of deportation, visit an odd family friend, Riya gains the power to create a supernatural creature to help her. Director Milli Bhatia emphasises every spooky and funny moment of this original idea; the Hiran, translated as fawn in English, is the making of the play.

Zainab Hasan and Safiyya Ingar, who play the sisters, are superb at grounding the action, especially given more than a few jump scares. The siblings’ relationship is convincing at the start and both performers are strong comedians. That said, Ayesha Dharker gets even more laughs and has a great night playing two wonderful villains. First Dharker is the witchy Shashi and then a smart landlady who has put up the rent: the question arises as to who scares us more.

There’s fun with the spooky creature too, along with the pointed fact that he is white and serves as a “sponsor” for Riya’s immigration claim. She calls him Jonathan (which really tickled me) and says they need him to be “slick but bland”. But Jonathan is scary too; Dominic Holmes makes the part appropriately creepy, aided by verses spoken off stage. And Ingar makes sure we fear for her character – having a pet psychopath at your beck and call isn’t fun. 

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Diyar Bozkurt and Zainab Hasan

Bhattacharyya wants to make other important points. Nikita works with migrants and their trials – including interviews and working conditions – are articulated through the character of Tahir, given a heartfelt depiction by Diyar Bozkurt. If Tahir seems to belong to a different play, Bhatia makes a virtue of that by emphasising the contrasting scenes. Maybe, with so much going on, adding romance for both sisters might not be needed.

There’s some clunky dialogue (that the location of the play isn’t specified doesn’t help) as well as moralising moments. And too many puzzling questions. It isn’t clear why Jonathan turns out to be right wing (surely his papers aren’t in order either?). Or why Riya becomes so vindictive: if power has corrupted her, that needs prepping. The play starts to buckle under its own ambition with an unnecessary twist set in the future. But King Troll (The Fawn) is entertaining, memorable, and easy to rate as a four-star show.

Until 2 November 2024

www.newdiorama.com

Photos by Helen Murray