The Fit Prince

King's Head Theatre

Playing until 3rd January 2026

Book tickets

Photo credit: Dave Bird

{PR Gifted ticket}

Straight after the king’s death, the prince handsome prince (Linus Karp) with a massive dick -Swedonian for heart - must marry before Christmas to avoid handing over the reign to the neighbouring country. Commissioned to make the royal wedding cake, New York baker Aaron Butcher (Joseph Martin) travels to Swedonia, where he meets and falls in love with the prince.

In line with Awkward Productions’ previous shows, The Fit Prince shows off the company’s trademark crassness, over the top queer joy, lover for puppets, and may indeed be Karp and Martin’s most ambitious project yet. The couple took everything they have done to date and multiplied it by ten to produce this show, with more actors on videos, more puppets and more ridiculous audience participation.

Karp is an expert at creating comedy from audience responses the atmosphere in the room, even when something unintentional happens, he is able to quickly find a way to turn this into a humourous jab at the situation and regain the command of the flow. Martin on the other, plays a disgruntled twink that is hopelessly infatuated. His role demands the most physical activity, rushing on and off stage as he goes through quick changes to get into the costume/puppet that is Gerta McMurder, an elderly lady that manages an orphanage funded by the royal family. Instead of a coarse and scratchy witch voice one might expect from this giant puppet, Martin’s singing is surprisingly delicate and soothing to the ears.

Unlike some of their previous productions, the two are not mortal enemies (Diana vs Camilla, Gwyneth vs Terry Sanderson) and it is so lovely to see the two finally on the same side against a greater evil, the prince’s doppelgänger, who steps in to take care of all his royal duties while he is otherwise occupied. At this press performance, we are lucky enough to have Sebastian Croft selected from the audience to play the role of the doppelgänger, creating howls of laughter as he plots to overthrow the current reigning monarchy with the Prince Balthazar of Bashington (played by Sebastian Croft in a video recording). There is nothing quite like doing lines with and marrying yourself. However, it is difficult to tell if this will be nearly as funny if a different audience member is selected.

Incorporating a number of influential figures from across the world, we are also graced by the likes of Michelle Obama (Yshee Black), Angela Merkel (Kate Butch) and Queen of England (Geri Allen), reviving the conspiracy theory that Michelle Obama is a man by demonstrating how low her voice could go. Allen’s return as the queen in the Fit Prince stirs up nostalgia for those familiar with one of the company’s shows, Diana: the Untold and Untrue Story. However, the lack of comments in relation to England’s current reigning monarch seems like a missed opportunity.

A particular highlight of the show goes to the live BAAB performance, playing parody versions of ABBA songs like “Dunkirk” instead of “Waterloo”, “Singing King” instead of “Dancing Queen” and many others. The arrangement is catchy and lyrics are comedy gold. Even without the all too familiar rhythm, one could instantaneously recognise the ABBA songs these are based on.  

It is evident that Karp and Martin have taken extra time to establish the theme and foundation of the show, providing context in the first ten to fifteen minutes. Suffice to say that straight story telling is not Awkward Productions’ forte, and the scene setting does feel a little slow to begin with. However, once the show got going as it plunges the story into total mayhem and further muddled with chaotic audience participation, that’s when the show truly lifts off. From that point on, there is no stopping this duo and their faithful stage manager in creating a spectacularly funny show.

Sauna, flat-packed furniture and a massive export of pop songs, it’s almost as if we are transported to Sweden. Instead, we have actually travelled to the land of Swedonia to bear witness to a queer as hell romantic story. If this doesn’t scream Christmas romcom, then nothing will.

Creatives

Created by and Starring: Linus Karp

Created by and Starring: Joseph Martin

Original Music: Leland

Designer: Stella Backman

Lighting Designer: James Appleby

Sound Designer: Kate Marlais

Additional Costume: Zack Pinset

Choreography: Sam Carlyle

Graphic Design: Alice Gorman

Additional Design: Wez Maddocks

Producers: Awkward Productions & King's Head Theatre Productions