London’s theatreland has welcomed its fair share of buzzy Shakespeare productions as of late, and now the Bridge Theatre has gotten in on the action with a production of Richard II starring Jonathan Bailey, whose rising stardom shot into the stratosphere after his leading role as Fiyero in the Wicked movie last year.
But this is no stunt casting; with an Olivier award and two WhatsOnStage nominations in his back pocket, Bailey’s theatrical prowess is well renowned by this point, and it certainly never falters in Nicholas Hytner’s new production of the Shakespearean historical tragedy.
Hytner’s production brings the action into a loosely modern context, but it doesn’t quite go down the Jamie Lloyd-ification route of black athleisure and barren sets. Instead, here we see traditional regal garb substituted with sharp tailoring, Richard initially fitted in a smart suit embellished with gold jewellery, with a simple but striking gold crown to boot.
Bailey brings his trademark charisma and charm to the role, but with an added teenage petulance as he lolls around his court and treats his subjects as little more than playthings. To Richard, matters of life and death serve as mere distractions and amusements. Just as noble Thomas Mowbray (Phoenix Di Sebastian) and Richard’s cousin Henry Bullingbrook (Royce Pierrson) begin to settle a dispute through a fight that Richard himself orchestrated, the flippant King condemns them to banishment instead with a childish blow of a whistle. Quicker still, he shaves four years off Bullingbrook’s sentence with a flick of his wrist after seeing the grieving face of Bullingbrook’s father John of Gaunt (played by aplomb by understudy Martin Carroll in the performance I saw).
As Richard makes rash decisions of seizing land and starting wars over lines of coke and swigs of booze, we see his power-crazed callousness descend into his ultimate downfall as the banished Bullingbrook plots to take over the kingdom.
Pierrson’s Bullingbrook is a stark contrast to Bailey’s boyish and loose Richard. Where Richard rules with hands in pockets and a condescending gaze, the eventual new king Bullingbrook steers his usurped kingdom with a steely upright strength. But as he develops a taste for power and vengeance, echoes of Richard’s brutality start to emerge through the cracks in Bullingbrook’s stern facade, perfectly evoked through Pierrson’s masterful performance. Meanwhile, Richard finally concedes to his weaknesses as he slowly comes to terms with his own undoing, resulting in a death that strips him of his last remaining iota of dignity.
Richard II isn’t one of Shakespeare’s most performed plays, and at times you can understand why. There are a lot of secondary characters to contend with, not all of them getting enough meat make a noticeable impact on the story’s central conflicts and dynamics. Queen Isabel (Olivia Popica) in particular is given little to do, but this is ultimately down to the limitations of the text rather than the production itself. You can feel the inclusion of these less developed secondary characters stall the momentum slightly in the second act.
The production’s modern tailoring and Carolyn Downing’s compellingly Succession-esque sound design heightens the political themes of the play, with certain scenes giving the impression that you’re watching a group of dapper conspirators plotting together at a bar in Westminster. This sleek brutality shines throughout Bob Crowley’s set design, which juxtaposes the appearance of grand chandeliers with trash-piled wastelands, and later corporate courtrooms with bare-boned jail cells.
Hytner makes great use of the space both on and off the thrust stage, with cast members walking through the audience and Bailey appearing as a condemned Christ-like figure lit up from the Circle in the climax of the first act.
While Richard II is never going to be the Shakespeare play with the most mass appeal, Nicholas Hytner’s contemporary take brings enough intrigue and drama to make it a richly entertaining and dynamic watch. Bailey is unwaveringly magnetic, and his take on the pompous king who has an undignified fall from grace serves as another stellar addition to his rapidly expanding CV of leading roles.
Richard II is at Bridge Theatre until 10th May. Buy tickets from: https://bridgetheatre.co.uk
Reviewer: Olivia Cox
Reviewed: 19th February 2025
North West End UK Rating:
Rating: 4 out of 5.
