Review by Alex Eichholz . . .
With no background reading on its subject matter or any expectations, Jordan Tannahill’s new play Prince Faggot, which opened tonight at Playwrights Horizons, left me unprepared for the moving experience it is. Under the skilled direction of Shayok Misha Cowdhury, its one hour-and-forty-five-minute running time throws the audience into the lives of the British Royal Family decades into the future, imagining the relations, repercussions, and triumphs of a gay Prince George. Deriving its plot from a photo of the young Prince as a child posed in a rather fey manner, the play explores the underbelly of the queer coming of age experience in a “what if?” situation, woven together with personal monologues spoken by the actors as themselves, occasionally stepping out of the fictional world of the play.
This fascinating device is utilized at the start of the show when we are introduced to Performer 1, played by Mihir Kumar, who begins speaking while a childhood photo of himself is projected upstage. He tells of his personal experience of being gay, mostly detailing “this is when I knew” as, one by one the rest of the cast, all seated in a row on the lip of the stage, briefly hit on their personal stories to accompanying photos of them as children. “This photo felt like some kind of proof that, as a four-year-old, I was not a queer man in waiting,” says Performer 1 (Kumar). “I was a queer child. I was queer in the present tense.” This reclamation of a queer living experience, encapsulating both the quiet part, as well as the one out loud, pre and post discovery of identity, grounds the piece and centers its themes in ways that feel sincere and refreshing.
These deeply personalized discussions directly at the top, in which the actors talk amongst themselves, are a jumping off point to launch into the play’s main story. The 2017 photo of Prince George at age four, gazing with limpid amazement at an ascending helicopter, has inspired the playwright to an unusual flight of fancy. Tannahill uses this pop culture reference to create a flawless connection to the experience and perception of queer childhood—all dropped into the world of the British royal family in the year 2032 with a thirty-one-year-old George on a difficult journey of self-discovery.
Exploring what the sex is like between the Prince and Dev, the boyfriend he brings home to mom and dad, leads to some extraordinary theatre that depends wholly on the brilliant work of the play’s intimacy coordinator, Dave Anzuelo. It being an unabashed and roaring piece of queer theatre, several references and instances of sexual interactions are featured that are coordinated with great care and precision. The ability of the actors to dive in headfirst is a testament to the safety and care as guided by Anzuelo. Ranging from traditional simulated intercourse to moments of BDSM and even a chemsex mental breakdown, it manages to keep at bay essential concerns for the actors’ security. What it does is bring an edge-of-the-seat tension and awe that draw you in by its intrigue, heightened by the emotion and beauty conveyed in such a safe space. The set and lighting design, crafted by David Zinn and Isabella Byrd respectively, work tremendously in framing these scenes literally in the proper light. The choice of a diagonal curtain and side stage lighting creates something akin to receiving an invitation to a private space, enveloped in shadows and mystique. These pockets of sexual expression are not only important milestones to see represented on stage but also feel tucked into place thematically in all the right ways.
The first sexual interaction between Prince George (John McCrea) and his boyfriend (Dev Mihir Kumar) are played by these fine actors with sophisticated levels of passion and compassion. And once the curtain closes on them, still raw in their nakedness, Rachel Crowl steps up with a powerful personal monologue spoken entirely as herself. “When I first saw that scene in rehearsal,” she tells us, “I felt this—anger. I’m not sure if anger is the right word, but—this overwhelming feeling of having been denied the experience of being a trans girl.”
Contrasting joy, love, and freedom of expression with anger, resentment, and loss, Prince Faggot fully encompasses the queer experience. It forces an audience to consider not only the enjoyable parts but likewise the parts hidden from oneself and/or others. Laced throughout Crow’s monologue is a mixture of kindness and fury that offers a profound truthfulness. “You will never know that wound,” she says. “You may think you know, but you will never know. And I resent that you’ll never know. But I guess I’m also thankful that you’ll never know.”
Immediately following Crowl, another blast of directness comes when the wonderful N’yomi Allure Stewart reminds us, “They were brave in ways you will never have to be.” Receiving this message during Pride Month in the year 2025 is the strongest reminder and reassurance anyone needs to keep pushing forward.
The unity and collaboration of the six-person ensemble move this piece with the speed and strength of a bullet train. All give stellar performances, from the aforementioned John McCrea and Mihir Kumar as George and his boyfriend Dev to David Greenspan, who shines in several roles, most notably as Jaqueline Davies, the Royal Communications Director, whose chaotic yet posh attitude is comic genius. K. Todd Freeman’s take on Prince William (later the King by the end of the play) has a powerful moment when he talks (as himself) about what a Black king looks like to him. Rachel Crowl gives a charming performance as William’s wife, Kate, holding the majesty of the maternal figure with keen understanding and wit. Last but certainly not least, N’yomi Allure Stewart as their daughter and Prince George’s sister Charlotte, is given the final word in a monologue that closes the show with this resonating line: “I am chosen by those who love me.”
It’s simple statements like this one of so many spoken throughout this startling new play that make Prince Faggot one of the most lively and intelligent pieces of theatre currently onstage in New York City.
Prince Faggot, a Soho Rep production now playing at Playwrights Horizons, 416 W 42nd Street, NYC, is running through July 13. For further information, please visit: https://www.playwrightshorizons.org/about/production-history/2020s/2425-season/prince-faggot
Photos by Marc J. Franklin.
Headline Photo: John McCrea as George and Mihir Kumar as Dev in Prince Faggot.
