Power and wealth too immense to exist

À la Dr. Strangelove, CSF’s Richard II will expose bleak parallels to current politics via dark comedy.

An arrogant, privileged, impulsive king sits upon the throne of England. Self-obsessed and heedless of others, he casually embraces kleptocracy to pay for a petulant invasion of Ireland.  

At the first whiff of instability, a host of power-hungry, greedy nobles, magnates and the Elizabethan equivalent of tech-bro mega-billionaires rush in to flatter the weakening monarch, eyeing the throne and seeking to further fill their purses.

If the setup for Shakespeare’s Richard II feels eerily familiar, it’s no wonder. With the rise of 21st-century autocracy and kleptocracy around the globe, heedless dictators and wannabes threaten to break alliances, even nations—but it’s the common people who will suffer most.

“Both Richard II and the world of 2025 tell the story of power too immense to safely exist, and the parallels to the current (American) administration are hilariously close,” says Tim Orr, producing artistic director of the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, who will direct the company’s first production of the play since 2013. “Our production is populated with characters who look like tech-bro billionaires cosplaying as medieval royalty.”

As grim as the play—and contemporary politics—may be, the production will amp up the bleak comedy inherent in such an insane, if dangerous, situation.

“I think we can push this to a level of absurdity and make a dark comedy out of the situation—think Dr. Strangelove”—Stanley Kubrick’s pitch-black comedic evisceration of mid-20th-century nuclear politics. “My goal for this production of Richard II is to show the audience the urgent relevance of this story as we witness the rise of kleptocracy and so many people are eager to usher in autocracy.”

The costumes and sets will evoke images of power players in a huge, stark boardroom.

“It’s a very modern, LED-lit world,” Orr says, “inspired by brutalist architecture, evoking both modern and medieval power.”

But unlike most of today’s autocrats and kleptocrats—so far—King Richard ultimately is forced to drop his attachment to ruling and take up the role of human being.

“Like other Shakespeare characters who move and become more sympathetic—such as King Lear—he must recast himself as a human being,” Orr says. “That allows the actors and director to enact the true miracle of humanity: our capacity for change.” 

Tickets for CSF’s 2025 production of Richard II are on sale now at coloradoshakes.org.