The Fit Prince (Who Gets Switched on the Square in the Frosty Castle the Night Before (Insert Public Holiday Here)) – The Old Market, Brighton and Hove

In a post-heatwave malaise, we’ve gathered at The Old Market for something altogether more cool… a deliciously queer mash-up of cheesy Christmas films.

‘The Fit Prince (who gets switched on the square in the frosty castle the night before (insert public holiday here))’ (yes, that is the full title) is a trope-ticking triumph, featuring stereotypes from all your festive favourites. When an American everyman and an heir to the throne from an obscure European country have the meet cute of the millennium, there’s sure to be jingle bells. We’ve got dead parents, a wedding on a deadline and a case of mistaken identity. An audience member as a panto-esque villain, a cute bakery business and a family reunited. And that’s just for starters. Heart-warming, right?

Linus Karp gives haunting deadpan scandi prince energy, while his real-life partner Joseph Martin serves Hallmark heartthrob homage with an extra dose of heteronormative-busting sass. Bravely, the boys rely on a bunch of no fewer than fifteen audience members to make up their big-budget-ambition, broke-budget-actuality production. This could be an absolute disaster, but somehow they manage to pull it off with absolute aplomb. They’re supported by Assistant Stage Manager, and player of multiple roles, Lucia Rimini, who is as versatile as she is vivacious.

The Fit Prince is hot and fresh. From scandi spoofs to pilfered plot lines, there’s plenty of laughs at every juncture. It’s got mass appeal, as well as being pretty wonderfully odd. We’ve got video-based guest appearance from a host of gay icons, including Drag Race alumni, Kate Butch, who does a wonderfully weird star turn as Angela Merkel. There’s puppet madness, including a particularly deranged orphanage custodian, and an appearance by darling of the genre, Vanessa Hudgens, though the medium of mask. Amidst strained financial times for the arts, Awkward Productions squeeze the maximum juice out of a small cast and budget. This ingenuity is pretty inspiring to watch – fellow performers, take note.

‘The Fit Prince (Who Gets Switched on the Square in the Frosty Castle the Night Before (Insert Public Holiday Here))’ may win more than just the accolade for longest show title ever. It may just win that most sentimental of things – our squishy, Shitmas-film-loving, festive hearts.

Reviewed on Monday 29 June 2026.