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Bailey brings precision and camp charisma to Richard II
The Independent
|February 19, 2025
The 'Wicked' star delights in the speeches of Shakespeare's homoerotic text as the queer-coded despot,
Right now, accusations of ill-advised stunt casting are being flung at the West End, but Nicholas Hytner's take on Shakespeare's corrupt king Richard II is innocent of these charges, at least. Although he's fresh from stealing the limelight in Wicked, star Jonathan Bailey has been landing big stage roles since he was in literal primary school, and he brings a wonderful clarity and charisma to this tale of a misbehaving, queer-coded despot.
This story is from the February 19, 2025 edition of The Independent.
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