★★★★★

“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.

DRIFTING

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“a darkly humorous, moving, and slightly unconventional tribute to a lost generation”

‘Drifting’, written and directed by Andrew Muir in collaboration with Ardent8 Ensemble, brings an underrepresented group of actors to the London stage – those from a predominantly working-class background. This is laudable and to be highly commended in an industry increasingly dominated by those who come from wealth and class privilege.

The play is set against a backdrop of a coastal town shrouded in sea mist – but for the twenty-six-year-old protagonist of the piece convincingly played by Trae Walsh – the mist is more of a fog that threatens to obscure his dream of escaping to the big city. This young university graduate, who has stacked shelves in the local retail park for some years, is in part, reluctant to move on out of loyalty to both his girlfriend and parents and perhaps also fear of the unknown. ‘Drifting’ explores the economic uncertainty and courage it takes to pursue a different path and will certainly resonate with the younger generation. ‘Drifting’ also resonates broadly, as its theme of life-changing decisions is universal.

There is much humour in this piece and occasional moments of joy although this is often undercut by a sense of the characters making do and scraping by. In one moment, out of pent-up frustration for his predicament, our young protagonist claims that ‘the closest I’ll get to Naples is fucking Nando’s.’

The actors work well as an ensemble and there is much raw talent on display here including that of Walsh who plays the Young Man. Toby Batt – the father who works as a taxi driver, and Phoebe Woodbridge the mother, also pull off playing much older characters and their well-meaning but small-town mentality is convincing and emotionally relatable. Lewis Allen’s well observed portrayal of a supermarket manager who has sold out to the system is often hilarious and Yarrow Spillane too puts in a fine performance as the Young Man’s girlfriend who is quite happy staying put.

Bethan Wall, the set and costume designer, has provided the audience with a set that highlights important themes in the play and includes scaffolding, an enormous ladder and flickering promenade lights. Characters either climb the huge ladder as low paid workers to stack shelves or in a desperate attempt to escape the often-grim reality of living in a deprived coastal town.

There is a strong rhythm and forward momentum to the writing particularly in the earlier scenes. The script is also interwoven with a poetic lyricism which helps to give greater depth and richness to the piece. As do the more tender moments between some of the characters: the dance between the young man and his friend and work colleague (beautifully played by Amirah Alabere) and the portrayal of the working-class parents whose love for their son is ultimately misguided. However, some departures into fantasy and surrealism, although well-intentioned and ambitious, I felt were at times more mystifying than mysterious. The ending of the play also doesn’t quite hit the mark as the line between realism, surrealism and social commentary is blurred and consequently somewhat confusing.

‘Drifting’ follows close on the heels of another play (‘The Chaos That Has Been And Will No Doubt Return’) also staged recently at Southwark Playhouse . This too centred around a working-class character who wished to escape from his small town. Southwark Playhouse deserves credit for showcasing these voices; ‘Drifting’ is a darkly humorous, moving, and slightly unconventional tribute to a lost generation.

THE FIT PRINCE …

King’s Head Theatre

★★★★★

“panto not just with bells on but with real balls attached”

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:

THE FIT PRINCE

THE FIT PRINCE

THE FIT PRINCE

DRIFTING

Southwark Playhouse Borough

★★★

“a darkly humorous, moving, and slightly unconventional tribute to a lost generation”

DRIFTING

Southwark Playhouse Borough

Reviewed on 18th November 2025

by Tim Graves

Photography by Mark Douet

Recently reviewed at Southwark Playhouse venues:

DRIFTING

DRIFTING

DRIFTING

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