The first in Shakespeare's four great plays about the tumultuous fortunes of the Houses of York and Lancaster, Richard II is once again led by David Tennant and directed by Gregory Doran following a successful run in 2013. The cycle of plays is part of the 400th anniversary commemorations of Shakespeare's death, and will be one of the biggest events to hit the Barbican following Benedict Cumberbatch's critically acclaimed turn in Hamlet.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT?

The capricious and vain Richard II is convinced of his own divinity, but fails to see the danger and precarious nature of his claim to the English throne. He exiles all those who he sees as a threat; the banishment of one Henry Bolingbroke would prove to be his undoing. Accusing the Duke of Norfolk of seizing his lands and plotting to murder his uncle the Duke of Gloucester, Henry leaves for exile abroad, promising to return for his rightful inheritance, with an army to support him.

When Richard is distracted by a rebellion in Ireland, Bolingbroke returns under the radar to England, intent on recovering his rightful property, and instigates an uprising against the incompetant king, much to the glee of his peers. Richard returns from Ireland to find his supporters have abandoned him, and to his horror that his uncle York has allied himself with Bolingbroke, and has promised him the throne. What will Richard do, now that his armies have defected, and his supporters now act for his rival Henry?