About the Show

A 1980s Manhattan-set staging of Shakespeare’s Richard II directed by Craig Baldwin.

Set amid the neon-lit boardrooms and shadowy power corridors of 1980s Manhattan, Richard II reimagines Shakespeare’s poetic chronicle of a monarch undone by hubris and rebellion. The story follows King Richard, whose divine right to rule is challenged by his cousin Bolingbroke, setting in motion a struggle for legitimacy and survival. The modern urban setting underscores the play’s timeless questions of authority, loyalty, and downfall.

This new production is helmed by Craig Baldwin, whose adaptation and direction recast the historical intrigue through a contemporary lens.

Presented by Red Bull Theater, known for its acclaimed revivals of classical and Jacobean drama, the production situates Shakespeare’s meditation on power just blocks from the site of the historic Astor Place Riots—a fitting reminder of theatre’s enduring entanglement with politics, identity, and public unrest.

Critic Reviews (14)

"Those who argue that Shakespeare is better read than staged find the best case in “Richard II,” whose dense, layered verse can be difficult to parse in real time. "
Read more

"Urie brilliantly embodies Shakespeare’s King Richard, infusing him with just enough whimsy and vulnerability to make this manchild pitiable. "
Read more

"Richard’s something is freedom, an escape from the weight of the crown that he never finds, even in surrendering it...f you’re on the lookout for something as simple as a Shakespeare production that feels fresh and stirring, this play’s the thing."
Read more

Urie subtly probes Shakespeare's verse for multiple layers of meaning. Even at his most foolish, he retains a surprising innocence about the scheming that brings him down.
Read more

"Traitors abound in Richard II, and in this production, it’s not always clear who’s on whose side...The only time this production really breathes is when Urie is alone in that giant glass box."
Read more

"gives Michael Urie his best role so far at the same time that it tampers greatly with Shakespeare’s original play"
Read more

"Shakespeare’s genius in this play, and others, lies in how little the king’s death matters...Urie gives us a beautiful Richard, one the play deserves"
Read more

"Baldwin and Urie manage to make all of the king’s verse count. With each metaphor, rhyme, and trippingly delivered meter, Urie brings us further and further into Richard’s evolving interior."
Read more