THE FIT PRINCE …
King’s Head Theatre
★★★★★
“panto not just with bells on but with real balls attached”
A member of the audience makes their way to the stage. As he enters the coffin, he is now in-role as the dead King of the fictional European country – Swedonia. And thus begins a wonderfully camp parody of heteronormative holiday rom-coms and a joyous queer love story. Written by and starring Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, as the romantic leads, this is one hell of a festive joyride.
The unmarried Swedonian Prince (beautifully played by Linus Karp) is in line to the throne and must tie the knot soon or he will forfeit his right to the crown. His many suitors, mostly male – who make cameo appearances on large multimedia screens – are all hilariously unsuitable for a whole host of reasons. Yet there is one particular suitor, Aaron Butcher, a baker living in New York who is still getting over his callous ex-boyfriend. Boo! Encouraged by ever the optimist – friend, fellow baker and puppet – Jenny Puppetson – Aaron is commissioned to bake a cake for the prince’s imminent wedding and travels to Swedonia.
‘The Fit Prince’ is produced by Awkward Productions and King’s Head Productions. The puppetry alone merits a visit to this all-round incredible show. A darker fairy-tale element and note of absurdity is introduced with the entrance of the incredible ‘Gerta McMurder – a disturbing-looking, life-size puppet who runs a local orphanage in Swedonia. She is masterly operated by Joseph Martin who delivers her lines in a pitch-perfect Scottish accent!
And then there are the pop songs! The original music is by Golden Globe nominated writer and producer, Leland. The pop duo BAAB (a parody of ABBA) belt out numbers like ‘The Loser Gets Nothing’ and ‘Movement King’ to the sheer delight of the audience.
‘The Fit Prince’ is big on audience participation. I did somewhat squirm when I initially heard about this. However, it was often the audience members who stole the show as they ad-libbed, improvised and gave a fresh and unrehearsed delivery of the lines that appeared on autocue. The multimedia guest stars who made digital cameo appearances also helped to give a sense of a much larger-scale production. Kate Butch (from RuPaul’s Drag Race UK) as Angel Merkel, Tove Lo as the Prime Minister of Swedonia and Geri Allen as the Queen of England added even more sparkle, chaos and high campery to the twists and turns of the turbo-charged plot.
There is so much to enjoy here – including the delightful and hilarious sexy shenanigans that transpire in the sauna scene between the prince and the baker! The glorious design and costumes (Stella Backman, Wez Maddocks and Zack Pinset) and the choreography (Sam Carlyle) transform the show to another level. This, ladies and gentlemen, is panto not just with bells on but with real balls attached. ‘Fit Prince’ may be unashamedly queer, camp, and highly theatrical yet there is an element of social and political commentary that hits just the right note without ever threatening to overshadow the joy and festive good cheer. As Aaron the baker asks Jenny Puppetson if she thinks a puppet can end fascism, she retorts: ‘This is theatre!’ Point taken – it’s our job to do that in a world increasingly governed by authoritarian regimes!
If there is one panto you should go see this Christmas, it’s this one. Best panto EVER! And I mean that. ‘Fit Prince’ fully deserved the standing ovation last night. I wish all the creatives and your good selves a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
THE FIT PRINCE (WHO GETS SWITCHED ON THE SQUARE IN THE FROSTY CASTLE THE NIGHT BEFORE (INSERT PUBLIC HOLIDAY HERE))
Reviewed on 8th December 2025
by Tim Graves
Photography by Anna Clare
Most recent shows reviewed at this venue:
FANNY | ★★★½ | October 2025
THE PITCHFORK DISNEY | ★★★★★ | September 2025
FOUR PLAY | ★★½ | July 2025
REMYTHED | ★★★★ | May 2025
THE GANG OF THREE | ★★★★ | May 2025
(THIS IS NOT A) HAPPY ROOM | ★★★ | March 2025
