Corruption, decadence, dysfunctional government… The album Hail to the thief, created in reaction to the American invasion of Iraq, inspired the directors.
Bringing Shakespeare and Radiohead together: an adaptation of Hamlet, one of the best-known plays in the world, will see the light of day in Manchester this spring with music from the British rock group’s sixth album.
Print album, Hail to the thiefreleased in 2003, will be “deconstructed” and performed live by around twenty musicians and actors. The atypical production, imagined by directors Christine Jones and Steven Hoggett, will be held from April 27 to May 18, 2025 in Manchester, before traveling to the Bard’s hometown, Stratford-upon-Avon, in June.
According to Christine Jones, Hail to the thief shares many themes with William Shakespeare’s play: corruption, decadence, dysfunctional government… The lyrics of the album focus a lot on the foreign policy of former American president George W. Bush (in power between 2001 and 2009 ), including the war in Iraq. Thom Yorke, the group’s singer and songwriter, had taken entire sentences from the former leader’s speeches. The very name of the opus is a reference to American politics, since it transforms the traditional presidential anthem Hail to the Chief in Hail to the thief (thief, in English). Neither rock nor electro but not really pop either, Hail to the thief had shattered well-defined musical genres.
In a statement to the BBC, Thom Yorke, who is part of the project, called it “interesting and intimidating challenge”. The casting will be revealed in the coming months. The project is described by the organizers as “a new feverish experience, mixing theater and music”.
