Review Roundup: DUKE & ROYA at the Lucille Lortel Theatre

Check out reviews of Duke & Roya, opening tonight at the Lucille Lortel Theatre. Duke & Roya is written by acclaimed playwright Charles Randolph-Wright (Blue) and directed by Warren Adams.

Duke & Roya stars Jay Ellis (Top Gun: Maverick, “Insecure”), Stephanie Nur (“Lioness,” “1883”), Olivier Award winner and Tony Award nominee Noma Dumezweni (“Only Murders in The Building,” Harry Potter and the Cursed Child) and Dariush Kashani (Oslo, The Band’s Visit). 

The understudies for Duke & Roya are Ariana Afradi (Pieces), Shirine Babb (A Beautiful Noise), René David Ifrah (“Homeland”), and Jequrey Slaton (“Power Book II: Ghost”).

Duke & Roya tells the resilient love story of when Duke, an American hip-hop superstar, meets a fearless Afghan interpreter, Roya, in the heart of war-torn Kabul. They learn to navigate the stark realities of their worlds—his of global fame, hers of survival—through a romantic relationship that challenges their beliefs, risks their safety, and redefines what it means to fight for love. Led by Jay Ellis and Stephanie Nur, Duke & Roya explores high-stakes romance and the choices we make.

The creative team for Duke & Roya is Ronvé O’Daniel (Original Music), Wilson Chin (Scenic Design), Sabrina Spanta (Costume Design), Amina Alexander (Lighting Design), Caite Hevner (Projection Design), and Taylor Williams (Sound Design). General Management is by TT Partners.

Juan A. Ramirez, The New York Times: The charismatic rapper follows this line with bumbling flattery, and she laughs it off. It’s a solid comic beat, but like the play, it’s not enough to fall for, or to bridge a cultural divide.

Tim Teeman, The Daily Beast: Fair warning: Duke & Roya is slow. Transitions between scenes feel labored. But its design (Wilson Chin), lighting (Amina Alexander), and projections (Caite Hevner) are spare and attractive, and the performances are so well-observed, the humor so subtle, and the gentle slow-burn of romance, familial conflict, and resolution so genuine that you find yourself watching it with exactly the same happily seduced expression as one of those rainy-day romantic comedies.

Allison Considine, New York Theatre Guide: Despite its heady topics, the play is surprisingly funny, and director Warren Adams gently brings the play’s moments of levity to the stage. With its strong performances and nuanced script, Duke & Roya challenges audiences to consider the ways we connect and the risks worth taking for love.

Melissa Rose Bernardo, New York Stage Review: There’s also a somewhat confusing subplot concerning Roya and a prisoner named Behrouz that neither Randolph-Wright nor director Warren Adams manage to make work. Then again, the course of true love never did run smooth.

Jonathan Mandell, New York Theater: The events of the last few days make Duke’s line extraordinarily timely, and would likely heighten interest in a suspenseful and pointed story of an American’s clueless and disastrous entanglement with a foreigner, presented as a microcosm of America’s entanglement with foreign countries. The timing might even boost something less political, a steamy romance set against a background of danger and intrigue. The production lands somewhere in-between pointed tale and romance, not completely satisfying as either, despite a charming four-member cast. Like other promising moments in the play, little is made of Duke’s line about America’s wars.

Average Rating: 68.0%