9 / 10
Happily, director Craig Baldwin and the Red Bull Theater have achieved this latter result with a Richard II that leverages its chic, modern trappings to offer a striking vision of Shakespeare’s most poetic king. Behind a wonderful lead performance by Michael Urie, the show probes the warm interiority of the beleaguered Richard as juxtaposed against the cold, brutal political calculations of his counterpoint, Henry Bolingbroke.
6 / 10
But this Richard II emerges more as an exercise in style than substance, unable to justify why its 1980s glosses enhance our understanding of this story or these characters. “I have been studying how I may compare / This prison where I live unto the world,” Richard says in the opening and closing lines of the show. And Urie fills the lines with a kind of weary resignation that marks his approach to his drawn-out abdication in the second act. But this production fails to make clear how Richard himself is chiefly responsible for his incarcerated fate, the architect of his own misfortune. (And it has nothing to do with his prolonged smooches with a boy.)
The limited Off-Broadway engagement of Richard II starring Michael Urie has entered its final weeks of performances. Richard II will be recorded by the Theatre on Film and Tape Archive of The New York Public Library for the Performing Arts.
Red Bull Theater will extend its acclaimed production of RICHARD II for one final week, with performances now running through December 21 at the Astor Place Theatre.
The Off-Broadway production of Shakespeare's Richard II, starring Michael Urie, recently opened. The engagement will continue through Sunday December 14th at the Astor Place Theatre. Check out photos from the red carpet on opening night here!
Performances are now underway for the Off-Broadway production of Shakespeare's Richard II, starring Michael Urie. Check out photos from opening night here!
Read reviews for the Off-Broadway production of Shakespeare's Richard II, starring Tony Award nominee Michael Urie. The extended limited Off-Broadway engagement will now continue through Sunday December 14th at the Astor Place Theatre.
Michael Urie leads Richard II at Red Bull Theater, now extended through December 14. Experience Shakespeare's masterpiece in a fresh setting!
You can now get a first look at production photos of Red Bull Theater's Richard II at the Astor Place Theatre, starring Michael Urie, Lux Pascal and more.
Join Michael Urie as he shares the plays and musicals that influenced his artistry. Discover the classics he adores in this exclusive video.
In order to make tickets accessible to the widest possible audience, Red Bull Theater will be partnering with the digital ticket lottery platform Lucky Seat to offer the chance to win lottery tickets to Richard II. Learn more and see how to enter!
Richard II takes Manhattan in the newest production of Shakespeare's history play. Red Bull Theater is about to open its 2025-26 Season with Michael Urie starring in a version of Shakespeare's Richard II, adapted and directed by Craig Baldwin. Watch in this video as both chat more about the new take on the classic play.
Red Bull Theater's 2025-26 Season will kick off with Michael Urie starring in Shakespeare's Richard II. The show is adapted and directed by Craig Baldwin. Ahead of the show's first performance, the cast met the press. Check out photos here!
RED BULL THEATER has revealed the complete cast to join Emmy nominated actor Michael Urie in a powerful new version of Shakespeare's Richard II. Learn more!
RED BULL THEATER's 2025-’26 Season will begin with Emmy nominated actor Michael Urie starring in a version of Shakespeare's Richard II. Learn more and see how to purchase tickets.
