Oh, Mary! Star Michael Urie to Lead 'Rad' Reimagining of Shakespeare's Richard II Off-Broadway

Oh, Mary!'s Michael Urie will play the title role in a new version of Shakespeare’s Richard II set in 1980s Manhattan. Adapted and directed by Craig Baldwin, performances will begin at the Astor Place Theatre on October 28 with the official opening set for November 10. The limited engagement will continue through November 30.

The production will open the new season from the Red Bull Theater, a company devoted to adaptations of classic plays, and also marks a new beginning for the Astor Place Theatre, until recently the home of the Blue Man Group. Additional cast and design team for the production is to be announced.

“I’m delighted to return to my favorite theater company for this bucket list role under the direction of my old friend and genius Craig Baldwin, " Urie said in a statement. "We come back to Shakespeare over and over again to see what his take on the human condition can teach us about the moment we’re in and this play will certainly sing in 2025. With Red Bull and Craig, we’re making something intelligent, beautiful, sexy, funny—it’s gonna be rad.” 

Urie was nominated for a 2025 Emmy Award for his role on the Apple TV+ series Shrinking and has appeared on Broadway in Once Upon a Mattress, Spamalot, Torch Song and more. Under Baldwin's direction, he also played Hamlet with the Shakespeare Theatre Company. He is currently appearing on Broadway in Oh, Mary! as Mary’s Teacher. 

Ambition and betrayal reign supreme in this reimagining of Shakespeare’s poetic masterpiece. The neon skyline and shadowy backrooms of '80s Manhattan become an epic battleground of identity and power, where a king’s divine right crumbles beneath the weight of human frailty.