Rajiv Joseph's 2025 play 'Archduke' offers a farcical reimagining of the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, exploring the radicalisation of young men through economic insecurity, historical grievance, and religious fervour. The play is set in an abandoned railway tunnel vault, designed by Es Devlin, and directed by Lyndsey Turner.
Plot and Characters
The central figure is Gavrilo Princip, played by Stanley Morgan, a Bosnian Serb teenager diagnosed with tuberculosis (a 'lunger'). He and two other starving, sick youths, Trifco (Abraham Popoola) and Nedeljko (Chris Walley), are recruited by Slav nationalist Apis (Marc Wootton) through a rant on historical wrongs and promises of food, including fancy sandwiches. The hunger of the plotters is a major motivation, with a recurring metaphor involving sandwiches.
Historical Context and Themes
The play addresses imperialism, colonialism, and militarism without direct topical sensitivities, using TB as a metaphor for a generation's loss of future. The assassins are fervent Catholics: Gavrilo was named after the Angel Gabriel and murders for 'Mother Mary'. The play suggests that hunger and tuberculosis, as much as imperialism, were triggers for the assassination that precipitated the First World War.
Design and Direction
Lyndsey Turner balances historical comedy and high seriousness, infusing a convincing then with nuances of now. Es Devlin's set, an abandoned warehouse interpreted as a railway tunnel vault, alludes to historian AJP Taylor's theory that rigid train timetables caused the war. The final scene involves the conspirators boarding a train to Sarajevo, though on press night the carriage door wouldn't open from outside, requiring actors to use footwork via the wings.
Cast and Performances
The cast negotiates the tragicomic tone well. A haunting final scene asks what if Princip had ducked his mission; he would presumably not be buried in Sarajevo's Heroes Chapel, and a Glaswegian rock band would not be called Franz Ferdinand. The play suggests the first global conflict might have had slightly different dates.
Critical Reception
According to the review, 'Archduke' is not for exam halls, but theatrically Joseph's thesis graduates with high honours. The play runs at the Royal Court, London, until 25 July.
