Awkward Productions, the gloriously chaotic minds behind Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story and Gwyneth Goes Skiing, return to the Edinburgh Fringe with their most ambitious title yet, and arguably their most unhinged show to date. The Fit Prince (Who Gets Switched on the Square in the Frosty Castle the Night Before [Insert Public Holiday Here]) is a riotous parody of every saccharine Hallmark romcom you’ve ever hate-watched, lovingly skewered with queer joy and theatrical absurdity.
Set in the suspiciously Scandinavian land of Swedonia, the story follows Aaron Butcher, a New York baker whose career and love life is crumbling faster than his New York Crumb Cake. When his colleague Jenny Puppetson (yes, she’s a puppet) submits him for a royal commission to bake a wedding cake for the Prince of Swedonia, Aaron finds himself whisked away into a world of royal intrigue, romantic confusion and festive nonsense.
Karp and Joseph Martin, real-life partners and now on-stage romantic leads, are born entertainers. Their chemistry is electric, their timing razor-sharp, and their commitment to the bit unwavering. The show is packed with guest stars via video link, adding a layer of delightful unpredictability to the proceedings. Audience interaction is not just encouraged, it’s essential, with us making up much of the cast! I found myself playing an orphan with damp underpants, which is not a sentence I ever expected to write (who am I kidding, this is Edinburgh Fringe!).
The production is a masterclass in camp excess which even features musical numbers (courtesy of Golden Globe-nominated songwriter Leland), and a plot that gleefully defies logic. It’s a love letter to the genre and a middle finger to its clichés. The show flicks through the tropes of holiday movies like a deranged Netflix algorithm, landing somewhere between The Princess Switch and RuPaul’s Drag Race.
While the pacing occasionally wobbles under the weight of its own madness, the sheer inventiveness and charm of the performers keep it buoyant. It’s outrageously funny, unapologetically queer, and utterly unforgettable. The Fit Prince is a gloriously unhinged romcom that leaves you laughing, cringing and somehow craving cake.
