Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) brings his signature wit and imagination to the New York premiere of ARCHDUKE.
Directed by Tony Award® winner Darko Tresnjak (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder) and featuring Tony nominees Patrick Page and Kristine Nielsen, as well as Jake Berne, Adrien Rolet and Jason Sanchez, this darkly comic play follows Gavrilo Princip, better known as the assassin of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and his fellow revolutionaries, reimagined not as masterminds but rather a hapless, helpless band of teenagers. With razor-sharp humor, Archduke transforms a pivotal moment in global politics into an absurdly relevant theatrical experience, reminding us that too often world history is written by the least qualified recruits.
Under the direction of Darko Tresnjak (best-known for helming A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder) “Archduke” is getting a distinctly professional production – precise design, game cast — for a play that was first produced in 2017 in Los Angeles as a commission of Center Theater Group, and didn’t need to be revived. Joseph has written better plays before and since.
For some, the historical details may be a bit dense to follow, despite Joseph’s succinct writing and Page’s clarion delivery. In contrast, Berne, Roulette, and Sanchez, as the three sickly recruits, never quite reach the stylistic ease of their more seasoned counterparts. 6
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
| 2026 | West End |
West End |
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