When Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, next in line to the Austro-Hungarian throne, and his wife Sophia, Duchess of Hohenberg, were assassinated on 28 June 1914, while being chauffeured through Sarajevo – the provincial capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, which had been annexed by his empire in 1908 – it triggered the start of WWI, in which an estimated 16,000,000 people died. Shot at close range by the young Gavrilo Princip, one in a revolutionary group of poor Bosnian teenagers, with support from Dragutin Dimitrijević, chief of Serbian military intelligence, the objective was to free their homelands and to establish a Yugoslavian state.
Sound funny? Well, it is in Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph’s two-act dark comedy Archduke, reimagining the pivotal incident with laugh-out-loud wit and socio-economic psychological insight, now making its NYC debut for a limited Off-Broadway engagement with Roundabout Theatre Company at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center. Directed by Tony winner Darko Tresnjak (born and raised in the region where it all took place), a masterful five-person cast delivers the zany humor and incisive characterizations with over-the-top absurdity and underlying humanity in this smart and entertaining rewrite of history that delves into the backgrounds, situations, and motivations of the main figures and ponders why they did what they did and what if they didn’t.
Patrick Page leads the deadly plot as the imperious mastermind Dragutin, who arranges for three of the teens to meet at midnight, has them brought to his lavish home, feeds the hungry and unfortunate youths at a sumptuously set table, then lectures them on the politics involved before a full-scale map of Europe, pompously recounts his own murderous acts, questions them on their understanding of words they never use (e.g., “disemboweled”), and enlists them into committing the killings and their own subsequent suicides, exciting them with the thrill of a seven-hour train ride (which they’ve never been on), having their names recorded in the history books and being remembered as heroes, and reminding them they’d die soon anyway, since all are suffering from consumption. His diabolical manipulation and egomaniacal bravura are both spot-on and sidesplitting.
In the roles of the disadvantaged trio of misfit assassins, Jake Berne as Gavrilo (the actual killer, whose name translates to Gabriel, the Archangel), Jason Sanchez as Nedeljko, and Adrien Rolet as Trifko engage in laughable arguments that turn physical as they actively run and jump around the stage (fight direction by Rocío Mendez), reveal the sad details of their young lives and cough up blood symptomatic of their fatal tuberculosis, are taken by the food and comforts, instructions and purpose Dragutin gives them, then, once they’ve been introduced to a more prosperous way of life, begin to think for themselves and to challenge the wisdom of Dragutin’s plan. Each actor thoroughly embraces the comical antics and elicits empathy from the audience for their sad states and growing awareness.
And the uproarious Kristine Nielsen turns in a razor-sharp portrayal of Dragutin’s unnervingly unhinged housemaid Sladjana, who rolls in key elements of the story (what and when she wants to) on her serving cart, espouses her venomous hatred of cats and innocent kittens, takes the teens to church with her and shares shockingly distasteful treats with them that, even though they’re undernourished, make them recoil.
Costumes by Linda Cho, with hair, wigs, and make-up by Tom Watson (including the dirty faces of the hapless teens), capture the stylings of the era and the distinctive social classes (Page and Nielsen are almost unrecognizably transformed at the climax of the show when they appear as the Archduke and Duchess), and Alexander Dodge’s rotating set transports us from the assassins’ initial dingy meeting place to Dragutin’s upscale dining room, the icon-hung bedroom where Gavrilo sleeps, the church where Sladjana prays, the train to Sarajevo with richly upholstered seats, and the site of the car in which the close-range shooting occurs (or maybe shouldn’t), enhanced with evocative lighting (by Matthew Richards) and telling sound (by Jane Shaw).
For a riotously funny and unconventional new take on an infamous event in world history, with award-worthy performances and a top-notch design, Archduke is a must-see production that will keep you laughing and make you think.
Running Time: Approximately one hour and 55 minutes, including an intermission.
Archduke plays through Sunday, December 21, 2025, at Roundabout Theatre Company, performing at the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, Laura Pels Theatre, 111 W 46th Street, NYC. For tickets (priced at $69-144, including fees), go online, or find discount tickets at TodayTix.
