Pearl artistic director J.R. Sullivan directs the production that began previews Nov. 8 and will run through Dec. 24. The Pearl Theatre Company dedicates its programming to works from the classical repertory.

McNall, who is also a Pearl company member, has appeared in The Misanthrope and Wittenberg at the Pearl, and stood by for the Broadway production of A Life in the Theatre. He also appeared in the Off-Broadway run of Orson's Shadow at the Barrow Street Theatre.

The cast also features Chris Mixon (Earl of Northumberland), Carol Schultz (Duchess of York), Wayne T. Carr (Duke of Aumerle), Bill Christ (Edmund, Duke of York), Grant Goodman (Henry Bolingbroke), Simon Kendall (Bushy), Dan Kremer (John of Gaunt) and Charlie Francis Murphy (Bagot).

According to the Pearl, "Richard II charts the descent of one leader and the meteoric rise of another with the crown of England as prize and the future of the nation perilously in the balance. Richard II is a powerful and provocative study of a king and a nation caught in the upheaval of social change and political turmoil."

The Richard II design team includes Harry Feiner (scenic design), Martha Hally (costume design), Stephen Petrilli (lighting design), Jane Shaw (sound design), Dudley Knight (voice and text direction) and Rod Kinter (fight direction). The stage manager is Dale Smallwood and the dramaturg is Kate Farrington. For tickets, phone (212) 581-1212 or visit PearlTheatre. New York City Center Stage II is located at West 55th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues.