RSC to stage play about plague death of William Shakespeare’s son Hamnet

Adaptation of Maggie O'Farrell's novel will premiere at Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon in April

A stage production of a poignant novel about the death of William Shakespeare's son from plague is to have its world premiere at the Royal Shakespeare Company's Swan theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon next April.

Hamnet, by Maggie O'Farrell, was published in March 2020, just as the world locked down in response to the Covid pandemic. It tells the story of a family racked by grief at the loss of the 11-year-old, focusing on everyday domestic detail while never naming the boy's father.