Archduke Tickets

Archduke in New York City!

Archduke, the explosive new play from Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph, comes to New York City for a strictly limited run this fall. A witty, fearless fictionalised imagining of the events leading up to the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand - which is believed to be the catalyst for WWI - Archduke makes its Off-Broadway debut at the Laura Pels Theatre in midtown Manhattan, just a short walk from the iconic Rockefeller Center. Innovative, daring and darkly hilarious, Archduke is “an ambitious mix of history, comedy and tragedy” (LA Times) - secure your tickets today. 

What is the play Archduke about?

In 1914, the Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated, sparking a series of events that, only one month later, triggered the beginning of World War I. While the assassination still looms large in the history books, many may not know the perpetrator's name - Gavrilo Princip. In Archduke, when 19-year-old Gavrilo receives a terminal tuberculosis diagnosis, he and his fellow consumptives fear they are running out of time to make love, make a difference, and make something of their short lives. Enter Serbian nationalist, Captain Dragutin “Apis” Dimitrijevic, who may just have the perfect way for the dying men to leave their indelible mark on history…

This bold, bitingly funny new play is a “deft play of fact and fiction” (Philadelphia Inquirer) that reimagines this pivotal moment in history, framing Princip and his band of revolutionaries not as sinister masterminds, but as a group of young men who are sick, hapless, and susceptible to radicalisation.

Archduke first premiered in Los Angeles in 2017. The play makes it's NYC debut off-Broadway this fall for a strictly limited run. Moving, witty and full of “dark humor that, as in any good satire, masks the gravity beneath” (Broadway World), Archduke is unmissable theatre - secure your tickets today. 

Who are the cast of Archduke Off-Broadway? 

Archduke stars Tony nominee and Grammy winner Patrick Page (Hadestown, Spring Awakening, The Hunchback of Notre Dame) as Dragutin "Apis" Dimitrijevic, Tony nominee Kristine Nielsen (Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, Gary: A Sequel to Titus Andronicus) as Sladjana and rising stars Jake Berne (Romeo and Juliet, Data) as Gavrilo, Adrien Rolet (Red Joan, Hamlet) as Trifko and Jason Sanchez (Chicago PD, El Coquí Espectacular and the Bottle of Doom) as Nedeljko.

Who are the creative team of Archduke?

Archduke is written by Rajiv Joseph and directed by Darko Tresnjak.

Joseph is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a two-time Obie Award winner and a Lucille Lortel Award winner. His works include Shalimar the Clown, The North Pol, Guards at the Taj, Describe the Night and Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo, which starred Robin Williams in it's Broadway premiere and was nominated for the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for drama. He is a member of Chicago’s Steppenwolf Ensemble.

Tresnjak is a Tony, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle and Obie Award-winning director. His credits include Tony-winner A Gentleman's Guide to Love and Murder, Cyrano de Bergerac with Patrick Page, Grammy-winning production The Ghosts of Versailles with Patti Lupone and Rear Window with Kevin Bacon. Tresnjak is of Serbian heritage, and was born in Zemun, Belgrade, which is where the first shots of WWI were fired, and where the majority of Archduke is set. 

Book Tickets for Archduke at Laura Pels Theatre Today!

Archduke is a “slyly relevant new period dramedy” (Variety) that reminds us history is often shaped by those least qualified. You won't want to miss this spiky, hilarious and alarmingly prescient new play about radicalisation, mortality and revolution from the imagination of Pulitzer finalist Ravji Joseph. Secure your tickets for Archduke at the Laura Pels Theatre today.