HAMLET Will Come to Paris in September
Performances will run from Sept. 18 through Oct. 9, 2026.
The Paris Opera will present Ambroise Thomas’s “Hamlet” at the Opéra Bastille from Sept. 18 through Oct. 9, 2026, in a staging that reexamines Shakespeare’s tragedy through a psychological lens.
The production runs 3 hours and 40 minutes with one interval and is performed in French with French and English surtitles. Tickets are priced from €28 to €155. The opera is scheduled as a five-act grand opera, with performances following a structure that includes a 130-minute first part, a 40-minute intermission, and a 50-minute second part.
First premiered in 1868 at the Paris Opera, “Hamlet” is Ambroise Thomas’s adaptation of William Shakespeare’s tragedy, shaped by librettists Jules Barbier and Michel Carré. While the opera retains the central narrative of the Danish prince, it streamlines Shakespeare’s philosophical depth in favor of heightened dramatic focus, characteristic of French grand opera tradition. The score is noted for its detailed orchestration and includes two saxophone solos, an unusual feature for the period.
This production is directed by Krzysztof Warlikowski, who offers a psychoanalytic interpretation of the opera in its tenor version. In this staging, Hamlet is portrayed as a man trapped within memory and trauma, repeatedly confronting the psychological aftermath of his father’s murder. The creative team includes conductor Michael Schønwandt, chorus master Ching-Lien Wu, set and Costume Designer Małgorzata Szczęśniak, lighting designer Felice Ross, and video designer Denis Guéguin, with choreography by Claude Bardouil and Sophie Laplane.
The cast is led by John Osborn in the title role of Hamlet, alongside Adela Zaharia as Ophélie, Clémentine Margaine as Gertrude, and Jean Teitgen as Claudius. Julien Henric appears as Laërte, Laurent Naouri as the Ghost of the late king, and André Heyboer as Polonius, with additional roles filled by Manase Latu, Vartan Gabrielian, Morgan-Andrew King, and Bergsvein Toverud.
First staged during the height of 19th-century French grand opera, “Hamlet” remains one of Ambroise Thomas’s most enduring works, blending Shakespearean drama with the theatrical scale and musical language of the Paris Opera tradition.
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