By Trudi-Rose Edwards
Richard II isn’t the most well-known monarch, neither is Richard II the most well-known Shakespeare play. The decision, therefore, for this to replace Guys and Dolls’ successful 23-month reign at the Bridge Theatre raises a few eyebrows.
Until you see it.
Starring the ever-charismatic Jonathan Bailey (of Bridgerton and Wicked fame) as the eponymous king, and featuring a talented supporting cast, director Nicholas Hynter’s take on the first in the Henriad tetralogy is fantastically slick, tense and intriguing. Continuing the trend of replacing medieval garb, swords and flasks of wine with flashy suits, machine guns and glasses of whiskey, the staging is dark, shadowy and stark, interspersed with occasional touches of opulence from dangling chandeliers. The austere setting works well, leaving the beautiful verse to do the heavy lifting.
In many ways more a tragedy than a history, Richard II chronicles the final, catastrophic years of Richard II, opening with his banishment of Henry Bolingbroke, his seizure of John of Gaunt’s land and money, and ill-advised warring in Ireland. All of which angers the nobility and triggers a (successful) conspiracy to depose Richard and replace him with Bolingbroke. As with all Shakespearean histories, it helps to have a basic grasp of the plot to fully enjoy the performance which is told entirely in verse.
Bailey’s Richard is peevish, unpredictable and at times comical. He is equally in-over-his-head while truly believing in his own divine right to the throne and these delusions of grandeur are somewhat endearing rather than alienating. To the point that, despite his petulance, you actually sympathise with his plight. Bailey is certainly a scene-stealer. With a commanding presence and wonderful command of verse, he is truly believable as both a witty, eloquent and charismatic, and tyrannical and politically inept king.
He’s accompanied by a great supporting cast. Standouts include Michael Simkins and Amanda Root as the Duke and Duchess of York whose discovery in Act 5 that their son the Duke of Aumerle (Vinnie Heaven) has orchestrated an uprising against the new King Henry IV is one of the highlights of the whole play.
There are, of course, a few gripes, the headscratching decision to have Richard return from Ireland with his crown secured in a plastic bag makes for a laugh but doesn’t seem to add much else; and Royce Pierreson’s Bolingbroke just doesn’t command the stage enough to truly believe that he’d be a better king than Richard.
But in all, Richard II is worth seeing for Jonathan Bailey’s performance alone and the chance to enjoy one of Shakespeare’s tragically less-frequently performed plays.
Richard II is on at the Bridge Theatre until 10 May.
Photos by Manuel Harlan