Royal Shakespeare Company: Hamlet

This is one of the most interesting and exciting productions of Hamlet I've ever seen, and I've seen many. To start with the most obvious aspect, it has a black cast and takes place in a modern African setting. They do some very interesting things with the costumes, scenery, music, masks, etc. Locating Hamlet in a specific cultural/political context (other than Denmark) helps to make the story feel more real and immediate.

It also has some fantastic performances, particularly Paapa Essiedu as Hamlet and Natalie Simpson as Ophelia. All of the elements of the production work together to create a fresh, vibrant version of a very familiar play. I felt like I was seeing the play for the first time again.