William Shakespeare’s Richard II is not the easiest play to stage. You have an indecisive pleasure-prone king and a plot that is not as gripping as the Bard’s other tragedies. Still, this play is meant to be a tragedy, which is why Red Bull Theater’s intriguing version, adapted and directed by Craig Baldwin and set in the 1980s, works well only partially, that is when King Richard is in power, enjoying his life. But as the king’s fate unravels, superficial attempts to elicit laughter from the audience come across as far-fetched and annoying, even if they do revolve around the comedic personality of Michael Urie in the title role. What becomes clear is that Baldwin’s staging is not about Shakespeare as much as it is about Urie and his skills in entertaining the audience.
The irony is that when Urie—too seldom—tones down the over-the-top gestures and often caricatural voices he employs throughout the performance, he is actually quite impactful as a dramatic actor. He just doesn’t allow himself to be so for too long, as though he were trapped in a certain persona that he can’t shake, yet that he doesn’t really need here. I have heard it mentioned that Red Bull Theater is known for some exaggeration. Still, I couldn’t help but wonder: How powerful would Richard’s character development have been if Urie’s gestural and vocal exaggeration were gradually reduced, reflecting the stripping away of Richard’s crown, power, riches, and ultimately, life?
Grantham Coleman as Bolingbroke and Michael Urie as Richard II – Photo by Carol Rosegg
The transmutation of the action is actually fascinating. Baldwin set the story in the wild early 80s, glittery, big-haired, and promiscuous. The creative team—Rodrigo Muñoz (costume design), Jeanette Oi-Suk Yew (lighting), Brandon Wolcott (sound), and Arnulfo Maldonado (scenery)—constructs a bold, vivid showcase for the story while Eurythmics’ 1983 synth-pop classic “Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)” permeates the plot as a haunting soundtrack. Michael Urie embodies perfectly the glamour and sexual fluidity of the era and he portrays Richard as queer. He slides languorously between affectionate embraces with his Queen—played by a stylish Lux Pascal—and sultry kisses with his lover whom he prefers and who also happens to be his cousin, Aumerle, portrayed with sly suaveness by David Mattar Merten. Urie spends a lot of time almost naked as though he’s in a sauna surrounded by his partners in pleasure who are, in fact, Bushy, Bagot and Green, Shakespeare’s original characters.
The main conflict of the plot stems from King Richard’s decision to banish his cousin Henry Bolingbroke—depicted with smoothness and increasingly chilling cruelty by Grantham Coleman—and strip him of his title and property. This leads to Bolingbroke’s revolt, supported by other nobles, and his eventual coronation as Henry IV. Coleman and a tragic Ron Canada as his father John of Gaunt plus an authoritative Kathryn Meisle as the Duchess of York create an impressive trio that precipitate Richard’s downfall, each in their own manner.
Michael Urie as Richard II – Photo by Carol Rosegg
The production introduces Richard after he has already relinquished the crown to Bolingbroke, stripped of all royal symbols, delivering his Act V monologue inside a suspended, rotating metal-framed glass box. This sets the story as a retrospective from Richard’s imprisonment days. Throughout it all, he reflects on the events leading to his dire circumstances, as the audience witnesses those events. Even when he is not actively participating in a scene, Urie observes the action as an onstage spectator.
The deposition scene is compelling in the exchange between Richard and Bolingbroke, highlighting Shakespeare’s language in all its glory. Yet it somehow lacks force in conveying the historical weight of that act. Richard is convinced of his divine right to rule, nevertheless Urie’s manner is often too gimmicky to transmit the conviction of that innate royal majesty, emblematic of his time. This overused phrase might be considered a cliché, but it truly applies here: less is—or rather, would have been—more.
For fans of Michael Urie, this production offers a spectacular opportunity to be entertained by the actor, on multiple levels. But fans of Shakespeare will be left wanting. This could easily be called The Michael Urie Show; everything else almost feels like an accessory.
Richard II runs through December 14 at Astor Place Theatre.
Top: Sarin Monae West as Bushy, Lux Pascal as the Queen, Michael Urie as Richard II, David Mattar Merten as Aumerle, Ryan Spahn as Bagot, and James Seol as Green – Photo by Carol Rosegg
