Richard II - Bridge Theatre
Jonathan Bailey feels everything. During Richard II, sometimes he was a pining child, an angry king, a spiteful human, a weak man. The star, while full of compelling character, was truly the light of the production. It felt natural, urgent, and perfectly placed to make the audience feel it all. Applause is due to Bruno Poet. The moment where Jonathan Bailey is stuck in a cell, once overthrown, is illuminated by a light that casts its own box. There was no wrong place to stand. Wherever Jonathan faced, the light followed, and the audience seemed to hold their breath in unison. Whether it was direct light or shadow behind him, everything felt simple, with the only purpose being to highlight the actor. Some moments did not feel as precise as the lighting. It almost felt like one could simplify.
Props were often thrown in almost in a rush to fill space. Characters talk at the bar? Throw in some cigarettes. They discuss citizenship? Hand over a passport. They must die? Suddenly knives vanish and guns appear. They talk about battle while circling a large-caliber gun. Moments like this felt less like deliberate choices and more like worried objects added to the scene. At times, it seemed Nicholas Hytner was hesitant to completely trust the audience to track the story. While this production was among the easiest Shakespeare performances to follow, how much of that clarity came from the actors’ dialogue versus the dropping of set pieces to push the story forward?
There was one moment where the Duke of Aumerle had to pull his passport from his coat and fling it forward. In this performance, he reached in to throw it, but nothing was in his hand. His eyes widened, rolled, and his hand returned to his jacket pocket to properly grab and fling the passport. The first part was clearly unplanned and diminished the impact. To the audience, it became just a flimsy piece of paper. At times, the props felt unnecessary to display, as if they were there for no reason.
What compelled me most were the simple moments. I don’t mean simple in the sense of having fewer elements, but simple in allowing the actors to play and set the scene naturally. The best example of this was when the Duke of Aumerle, played by Vinnie Heaven, returns home. The set, designed by Bob Crowley, becomes a classic British country home. While there is a lot of detail, it highlights the Duchess of York, played by Amanda Root, who is simply a concerned mother. The set helps the audience understand that this is his home, how he was raised, and how he responds to consequences.
This is not to say all props and set pieces were used without care, but at times they felt like quirks, while other moments transformed a scene entirely, such as a pleading son and a worried mother. Overall, Richard II was elevated by the talent of the actors. Even when props caused minor discomfort, performances by Royce Pierreson, Vinnie Heaven, and Jonathan Bailey quickly recovered the scene. The production rose above any misplaced prop.
