Ambition and betrayal reign supreme in this electrifying reimagining of Shakespeare’s poetic masterpiece. Set in 1980s Manhattan, the neon skyline and shadowy backrooms become an epic battleground of identity and power, where a king’s divine right crumbles beneath the weight of human frailty. Craig Baldwin’s inventive adaptation makes Richard’s tragic descent freshly immediate, staged a stone’s throw from the site of the historic Astor Place Riots, the original American cocktail of politics, insurrection, and Shakespeare.
Traitors abound in Richard II, and in this production, it’s not always clear who’s on whose side. Unfortunately, double-casting only makes matters more confusing. Though I’m not sure more actors could even fit on the Astor Place stage. The only time this production really breathes is when Urie is alone in that giant glass box.
With little of interest characterlogically or politically, the production is hit or miss: some annoying gimmicks here (Daniel Stewart Sherman slipping into cornpone as a Southern-fried General Scroop; a final tableau from Richard that’s full-out Norma Desmond), a few stunning visuals there (kudos to lighting designer Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew, leaning into neon). A couple of performances honor the verse and suggest fully rounded people. Kathryn Meisle, always reliable, brings fire and urgency to the Duchess (usually the Duke) of York. Canada makes excellent account of Gaunt’s famous “this happy breed of men…This precious stone set in the silver sea” monologue, though most of the others fail to register at any juncture that a sceptered isle, this other Eden, hangs in the balance.
| 2025 | West End |
West End |
| 2025 | Off-Broadway |
Off-Broadway |
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