Full casting has been confirmed for the Bridge Theatre’s upcoming revival of Richard II, starring stage and screen star Jonathan Bailey.

Joining Bailey as Richard II will be Royce Pierreson (The Witcher, Judy, Line of Duty) as Henry Bolingbroke, Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun (The Doctor, Comedy of Errors) as Earl of Northumberland, Olivia Popica (The Wheel of Time, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald) as Queen Isabel, Amanda Root (Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night’s Dream,  Macbeth) as Green and the Duchess of York, Phoenix Di Sebastiani (Top Boy, Anne Boleyn) as Thomas Mowbray and Groom, and Clive Wood (London’s Burning, The Tempest) as John of Gaunt. Returning to the Bridge Theatre is Michael Simkins (Guys & Dolls) as the Duke of York.

In addition, the cast includes Adam Best (Peaky Blinders, The Crown) as Sir John Bagot, Seamus Dillane (Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, The Invention of Love) as Lord Surrey, Vinnie Heaven (Cowbois, A Midsummer Night’s Dream) as Aumerle, Jordan Kouamé (The Mirror and the Light) as Sir John Bushy and Harry Percy, Gerard Monaco (A Small Family Business, A View from the Bridge) as Sir Stephen Scroop and Keeper, George Taylor (The Lady In The Van, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows) as Fitzwater, and Badria Timimi (Our Girl, My Brilliant Friend) as Abbess of Carlisle.

Understudies include Emma Bown (Romeo and Juliet, Sex Education), Martin Carroll (Twelfth Night, Richard III) and Stephan Boyce (Aladdin, The Coloured Valentino).

Richard II , one of Shakespeare’s most famous history plays, centres on the tragic downfall of the King, and the machinations of his noblemen. The play marks Bailey’s debut at the Bridge Theatre, returning to theatre after previously appearing on stage in Cock, Company and The Last Five Years. Bailey has since carved out a career on screen, including a leading role Netflix’s Bridgerton, and landing the role of Fiyero in the upcoming big screen adaptation of Wicked.

The new production is directed by Bridge Artistic Director Nicholas Hytner, reuniting him with Bailey for the first time since 2013’s Othello at the National Theatre. Richard II marks the third large-scale Shakespeare directed by Hytner at the Bridge, following his critically acclaimed productions of Julius Caesar and A Midsummer Night’s Dream.

The Bridge Theatre is currently housing Hytner’s rousing revival of the classic Broadway musical, Guys and Dolls, concluding a near two-year run at the venue in January 2025. Elsewhere, Hytner’s acclaimed production of Roald Dahl drama Giant, starring John Lithgow, is now in its final week of performances at the Royal Court.

Richard II will be designed by Bob Crowley, with an auditorium that is a hybrid configuration between in-the-round and traverse. Other creatives include lighting design by Bruno Poet, sound design by Carolyn Downing, music composed by Grant Olding, casting director Robert Sterne, casting associate Christopher Worral, associate director Lily Dyble, associate designer Jaimie Todd, associate sound designer Charlie Smith, costume supervisor Eleanor Dolan, and props supervisor Lily Mollgaard.

Richard II plays at the Bridge Theatre from 10 February to 10 May 2025. Tickets are on sale now.