Photo Credit: @jonathanbaileystan
If you’ve ever wondered what it would look like if Shakespeare had a little more heat, tension, and enemies-to-power-struggle energy, look no further than Jonathan Bailey and Royce Pierreson’s electric onstage dynamic in Richard II. Currently running at the Bridge Theatre in London until 10 May, this production is equal parts political intrigue and full-blown theatrical foreplay—and we’re living for it.
Photo Credit: @JonathanBaileyStan
Bailey, fresh off of stealing hearts in Wicked, Bridgerton, and Fellow Travelers, now steps into the crown-heavy shoes of Richard II, Shakespeare’s deeply flawed monarch. Playing opposite him is the magnetic Royce Pierreson (The Witcher) as Henry Bolingbroke, Richard’s rival and eventual usurper. Let’s just say the push and pull between the two is so thick, you could cut it with a dagger—or, more accurately, a perfectly timed monologue.
Jonathan Bailey and Royce Pierreson, what a duo. Playing off each other so perfectly, the push and pull between them was incredible. Perfect casting.
Two kings. 👑 pic.twitter.com/dxFghqqDM8— iRis 🐝 🧲🌷🧵👸🏾🤴🏻 (@iris_bee_) February 10, 2025
Audiences are already breathless over their chemistry, describing the performance as a “perfectly balanced push and pull” that practically crackles across the stage. Bailey’s Richard is “petulant, self-obsessed,” yet somehow still tragic and charming, while Pierreson’s Bolingbroke is grounded, commanding, and full of repressed fury—because what’s Shakespeare without a bit of dramatic repression?
Photo Credit: @JonathanBaileyStan
The rest of the cast is equally stacked: Olivia Popica brings grace and strength as Queen Isabel, Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun is sharp and commanding as Northumberland, and Amanda Root gives double trouble as both Green and the Duchess of York. Oh, and yes—Michael Simkins returns to the Bridge to play the weary Duke of York, while Phoenix Di Sebastiani (iconic name alert) pulls double duty as Thomas Mowbray and the Groom.
saw jonathan bailey opening night of richard ii, life is beautiful 🫶🏼 pic.twitter.com/thE9V6PDr7
— zara 🫧 (@foolsdnp) February 10, 2025
The stage critic continues: “It’s been a long time since Hytner’s directed a history play and it feels worth the wait.”
I asked Jonathan Bailey what he thinks about while waiting to come on stage before his final scene when Richard sits on the bed and he gave me a joke answer, the best laugh and then a deep answer 🥹😭♥️ pic.twitter.com/lleNuyXj69
— iRis 🐝 🧲🌷🧵👸🏾🤴🏻 (@iris_bee_) March 12, 2025
Bailey’s performance has been called “bravely vicious… leavened with wit and humour and yet also deliberately mannered and alienating,” while Pierreson “cleverly charts, with the smallest inflections… how difficult it is to make policy on the hoof.”
In short: Shakespeare might be 400+ years old, but this production is fresher—and sexier—than ever. Catch Richard II at the Bridge Theatre before it ends on 10 May… or risk missing some of the hottest political drama London’s stage has seen this year.
REFERENCES: What’s on Stage