RICHARD II, the most lyrical and elegiac of Shakespeare’s history plays, is acted in Nicholas Hytner’s disappointing production in drab contemporary clothes on a traverse stage. I missed the poetry and the medieval pageantry.
Richard believes he is king by divine right; but he is too narcissistic, too superficial, too self-indulgent, too indecisive and too full of self-pity to be effective as a medieval king.
Self-absorbed, superficial, impulsive, he is totally in love with the pomp and ritual of kingship, but totally out of his depth when it comes to the politics.
John of Gaunt’s famous panegyric to England (this demi-paradise, other Eden) turns into a blistering condemnation of Richard’s reign (Landlord of England art thou now).
Jonathan Bailey, riding high on his success in Bridgerton on TV and Wicked on film, is at his best in the great abdication scene at Westminster when Richard constantly embarrasses Bullingbroke (the future King Henry IV), refusing to make it easy for him: “Here, cousin, seize the crown.”
Royce Pierreson has considerable presence as Bullingbroke; and his performance is a major turning point in his career.
I expected Bailey, an engaging actor, hilarious in Stephen Sondheim’s Company, to be wittier and less alienating in the opening scenes. Shakespeare’s thrilling arias are not thrilling enough. Bailey, a prosaic as opposed to a poet-king, is never as tragic as hoped.
I wish the scene, when the Duke and Duchess of York and their son, Aumerle, are on their knees before Bullingbroke, begging for mercy, was not played for laughs. Another scene, also always difficult to take seriously, is based on historical fact and it is when more and more people are throwing down their gages, challenging Aumerle to pick them up.
The most exciting scene, physically at least, is when Richard is imprisoned in Pontefract Castle and fights his murderers, thrusting the poisonous food, they have brought him to eat, down their throats.
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