Richard II

When the Public Theater announced their 2020 Shakespeare in the Park season, Richard II was one of the two scheduled shows. Obviously they can’t open the Delactore Theater in Central Park to perform Shakespeare’s play, but that doesn’t mean they show won’t go on.

The Public has teamed up with WNYC Radio to broadcast a radio play version of Richard II starting today, Monday, July 13th and continuing over four nights through Thursday, July 16th. Each part begins at 8:00 PM EDT/5:00 PM EDT and will be available for streaming on WNYC’s website. If you are unable to listen as each of the four nights gets performed, WNYC is making each episode available for streaming later.

The plot of Richard II centers on King Richard II. He’s power hungry, loves war and seizes land. He banishes Henry Bolingbroke, but only for six years. Henry is able to return to England to take his seized land back. He assembles an army that serves in opposition to King Richard II. Ultimately the two men must face one another.

As Oskar Eustis, Artistic Director of the Public Theater says in the press release announcing this project, “A ruler, legitimate by the law of the land, begins to not only break the law, but violate the norms and traditions that make a nation function. What is to be done? A country is torn by the upheavals that follow injustice. What could this possibly have to do with America in 2020? Shakespeare’s masterpiece is both a political and a psychological exploration.”

Starring as Richard is André Holland, most recently seen in the Netflix series, The Eddy. He has appeared on Broadway in two August Wilson plays: Joe Turner’s Come and Gone and Jitney.

Joining Holland in Richard II are Barzin Akhavan (Salisbury/Marshall), Sean Carvajal (Gardener’s Man/Surrey), Michael Bradley Cohen (Bushy), Sanjit De Silva (Mowbray/Exton), Biko Eisen-Martin (Fitzwater), Michael Gaston (Northumberland), Stephen McKinley Henderson (Gardener), Miriam A. Hyman (Bolingbroke), Merritt Janson (Scroop), Elijah Jones (Hotspur), Dakin Matthews (Gaunt), Jacob Ming-Trent (Carlisle), Maria Mukuka (Queen’s Lady/Servant), Okwui Okpokwasili (Willoughby/Abbot), Estelle Parsons (Duchess of York), Tom Pecinka (Aumerle), Phylicia Rashad (Duchess of Gloucester), Reza Salazar (Welsh Guard), Thom Sesma (Ross/Keeper), Sathya Sridharan (Bagot), John Douglas Thompson (York), Claire van der Boom (Queen), Natalie Woolams-Torres (Green), and Ja’Siah Young (Groom).

Richard II has been conceived for radio and is directed by Saheem Ali. Original music was composed by Michael Thurber.

Since you can’t get to Shakespeare in the Park in New York, this year it’s coming to you.

“All places that the eye of heaven visits are to a wise man ports and happy havens. Teach thy necessity to reason thus; there is no virtue like necessity.” 

Photo of André Holland by Dylan Coulter (Courtesy of the Public Theater)