King’s Head Theatre – until 3 January 2026
Reviewed by Claire Roderick
5*****
Awkward Productions ensure Christmas is merry and gay at the King’s Head this year as they bring their 5-star Edinburgh smash to London slicker and sillier than ever. This gloriously knowing and daft send up of Hallmark and royal romance movies is cheesy, camp and extremely clever. Linus Karp and Joseph Martin’s previous shows involve digital appearances, catchy music by Leland, pop culture references and audience members taking on guest roles. The Fit Prince tests all of these elements to the limit, and the result is hilarious – there aren’t enough stars to award to this pair!
The King of Swedonia is dead, and at his funeral the mourners are reminded that for Prince Elian (Linus Karp) to be crowned, he must marry before Christmas. While Elian unenthusiastically surveys suitable consorts, the action switches to New York. Here baker Aaron Butcher (Joseph Martin), recently dumped, is drifting through daily routines until fellow baker and pushy puppet Jenny’s badgering of Swedonian officials somehow sets him off on the long, multi-vehicle journey to Swedonia. Of course, he bumps into Prince Elian, and they take a tour around the countryside, visiting Gerta McMurder’s House of Orphans (merchandise available!) As someone old enough to have seen The Dark Crystal on the big, terrifying, screen in the 1980s, Gerta’s first entrance was slightly (EXTREMELY) traumatic, but Joseph Martin’s puppetry and characterisation soon had me howling with laughter rather than fear. Hilarious – it’s just a shame Aaron is always in the bathroom and never gets to meet her.
Elian and Aaron ride horses, take a sauna, and go to a BAAB concert. BAAB’s appearance is the sequinned highlight of the show. The most famous group in Swedonia, we are treated to a medley of BAAB’s greatest hits: Dunkirk, Movement King, Is Your Father Aware – you get the gist. Simply brilliant. While Elian is away, his doppelganger keeps things running at the palace. But the doppelganger has nefarious plans – can Elian and Aron foil his fascist plot, and will they find true love? Well, obviously, yes – as Jenny Puppetson screams – “This is THEATRE!”
The show begins with just audience members on stage – madness, but it works brilliantly. Scene breaks are accompanied by clips of the Swedonian national anthem – a real earworm – with different lyrics explaining the plot. Various world dignitaries chip in on royal and diplomatic matters – Michelle Obama (Yshee Black), Angela Merkel (Kate Butch) and The Queen of England (Geri Allen) – and hot, unsuitable suitors court Elian, including Sebastian Croft as Prince Balthazar of Bashington. On press night, Croft was in the audience and was playing the doppelganger, resulting in a wonderfully chaotic scene where he was marrying himself.
Karp and Martin are as endearing and exciting performers as they are writers and you can’t help but get swept along with the joyful onstage nonsense. The Fit Prince is an unmissable Christmas treat – supremely silly and hilariously uplifting. Grab a ticket while you can – you could be lucky enough to play the monstrous corpse of the king!