Prince F*ggot
Playbill: Prince Faggot
Overall Rating: B+
Prince Faggot imagines a world where Prince George becomes the first openly gay royal and explores what gay love, visibility, and family pressure might look like inside the monarchy. With a fully queer ensemble and deeply personal storytelling, the show is beautifully told.
The production opens with all six actors breaking the fourth wall and sharing childhood photos, each one hinting at early signs of future queerness. This leads to the well-known image of young Prince George, perhaps also showing his future queerness, that once circulated widely. What unfolds is a story performed by actors who each take on multiple roles in a world where Prince George steps into his life as an openly gay man.
Throughout the show, the storytelling is delightfully accurate. The Prince (John McCrea), studying art and literature at Oxford, meets Dev (Mihir Kumar). They begin dating, and Dev is invited to spend a weekend with the royal family. When we arrive, Prince William (K. Todd Freeman) and Catherine (Rachel Crowl) are warmly receptive to their son and his new boyfriend, though complications are already forming. The family PR manager (David Greenspan) appears to control the narrative after George and Dev are photographed holding hands at the train station.
That night, they have sex. In a dim bedroom, the scene unfolds with an honest and realistic portrayal of gay intimacy, highlighting George as the submissive partner while still showing the tenderness of a young couple in their early months together.
As the story moves forward, their different backgrounds become harder to overcome. George is tied to his royal lineage and all the expectations that come with it. Dev loves him, but struggles to remain true to himself while living under the scrutiny of George’s future crown. They separate. George spirals into struggles with identity, addiction, and loss, still in love with his first partner but now engaged to someone else. Dev returns to his regular life, but with a quiet hole left behind. As the show nears its conclusion, we hope they may find their way back to each other, though I will let you discover the ending for yourself.
The acting is exceptional. Every performer, all of whom are queer, delivers powerful work. They also share brief personal asides with the audience. These moments are moving, though they occasionally pull focus from the main story. N’yomi Allure Stewart stands out in particular. Her ballroom-scene story at the end of the night completely stole the show.
One of the most memorable elements is the space itself. With a queer cast, a mostly queer audience, and queer subject matter, the room felt warm, welcoming, and alive. It created a sense of shared affection that I have rarely felt in a theater. The energy was electric.
Although the performances were unquestionably A+, the storytelling at times waned and occasionally leaned on provocative interludes instead of the strong narrative thread that began the show. Still, the heart, honesty, and artistry make Prince Faggot an easy recommendation, especially for queer audiences.