Richard II – 07 November 2025

Richard II at Astor Place Theatre is one of the most accessible pieces of Shakespeare I have ever seen. In Richard II’s (Michael Urie)’s opening monologue, Urie’s use of gestures and voice modulation were so easy to understand and clear that I momentarily wondered if the show had been adapted into contemporary English. Urie continued this deft command of language throughout the performance, and, though others were not quite on his masterful level, when thinking about the play conceptually as Richard II’s memory, it makes sense that the approach to language is different because, even as he recounts his story, there are parts of it that he doesn’t understand in full. Some standout cast members included Sarin Monae West (Bushy, Gardener), David Mattar Merten (Aumerle), and Daniel Stewart Sherman (Thomas Mowbray, Scroop).

Astor Place Theatre is a very small space, and scenic designer Arnulfo Maldonado’s maximization of the usable space is nothing short of genius. Richard’s prison had semipermeable glass, and soft goods that dropped from the ceiling were hung in different formations to create different places. Add in Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew’s lighting boldly changing the color of the fabric and the space and each look was nothing short of dazzling. Yew very successfully used her ability to isolate certain characters on stage and remind us whose story matters. There is a beautiful moment towards the end where light bounces off of a mirror to illuminate people’s faces to symbolically make their truths unrecognizable. Rodrigo Munoz’s costumes were delightful and constantly shifting as the story took shape. Munoz really captured the essence of each character and the differences between characters who had ensemble moments were consistent throughout the show, providing much needed continuity that helped the audience understand actors who were playing multiple roles with ease. Brandon Wolcott (sound designer, composer) had one of the most difficult design roles in this production. The reality of Richard II is that it’s lengthy. Wolcott masterfully used sound and music to keep the audience engaged so that audience attention never lapsed or lagged. The Gestalt of this design collaboration is a truly stunning experience.

Richard II could not be more relevant right now as we think about how power changes hands, through shifting alliances, through peace, through war, through bloodshed, through pain, through subjugation, through love, through loss, through kinship, through bonds, through bondage, through conquest, through adoration, through fear… Though it’s happening with no kings protests throughout the US, a global view shows a longer, deeper history of how power dynamics shift and from whom power is derived. Richard II asks lots of questions about what makes a king, and, in the end as Richard II abdicates his throne, some of these questions are answered with a self-loathing humor that Urie was carefully building throughout the show. Richard II clearly shows that losing power can be humiliating and take one from a king to a mumbling lunatic in a prison cell.

Richard II is not the end of Shakespeare’s series of exchanges of power between Henrys and Richards. Henry IV’s reign (told in two parts) begins with a major rebellion at hand. These stories affirm the idea that power should be held by multiple people with distinct roles who can provide some kind of check or balance on each other. No kingdom ever seems content with its king, and each successive Shakespearean story contains the next iteration of unnecessary bloodshed. Yet, when the gauntlets are thrown down, ruling becomes anyone’s game and power goes to those who take it by force. Richard II is unique in his desire not to die for his land but to make the difficult decision to nobly yield it to prevent further destruction, This desire is not honored, though he is instead killed by a friend and not an enemy. Perhaps the lesson here is that those who become drunk with power are incurably arrogant, even when humiliated and stripped of their thrones.

Richard II is thought provoking on a multitude of levels and an astounding production in this iteration.

I attended this performance on a press pass from David Gersten & Associates Inc.