Full cast announced for Jonathan Bailey-led 'Richard II' at Bridge Theatre

Michael Simkins (The Crown, Silent Witness) will star as the Duke of York, and is currently appearing in the Bridge Theatre production of Guys & Dolls.

Olivia Rook
Olivia Rook

The full cast has been announced for Nicholas Hytner's new production of Shakespeare's Richard II. Bridgerton and Wicked star Jonathan Bailey has already been announced as playing the title role when performances start at the Bridge Theatre on 10 February.

Michael Simkins (The Crown, Silent Witness) will star as the Duke of York, and is currently appearing in the Bridge Theatre production of Guys & Dolls. He will be joined by Royce Pierreson (The Witcher, Judy, Line of Duty) as Henry Bolingbroke, Christopher Osikanlu Colquhoun (Absentia, The Doctor, Comedy of Errors) as Earl of Northumberland, Olivia Popica (The Wheel of Time, Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald, The Tattooist of Auschwitz) as Queen Isabel, Amanda Root (Romeo and Juliet, A Midsummer Night's Dream, Macbeth, Persuasion) as Green and the Duchess of York, Phoenix Di Sebastiani (The Great, Top Boy, Anne Boleyn) as Thomas Mowbray and Groom, and Clive Wood (London's Burning, The Tempest, Antony and Cleopatra) as John of Gaunt.

The cast also includes Adam Best (Peaky Blinders, The Crown, Twelfth Night) 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, Cuckoo) as Aumerle, Jordan Kouamé (Wolf Hall 2, The Mirror and the Light) as Sir John Bushy and Harry Percy, Gerard Monaco (A Small Family Business, Children of the Sun, The Kitchen, 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.

The understudy cast includes Emma Bown (Romeo and Juliet, Sex Education), Martin Carroll (Twelfth Night, Richard III, The Royal Hunt of the Sun), and Stephan Boyce (Aladdin, The Coloured Valentino).

The creative team includes design by Bob Crowley, lighting design by Bruno Poet, sound design by Carolyn Downing, and compositions by Grant Olding.

Based on the real-life King Richard II, who ruled England from 1377 to 1399, Shakespeare's play follows the charismatic and eloquent king, as he makes poor political decisions and shakes the confidence of his country.

Book Richard II tickets on LondonTheatre.co.uk

Photo credit: Michael Simkins, Olivia Popica, and Royce Pierreson. (Photos courtesy of production)

Originally published on

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