A RADICAL FAIRY TALE FIT FOR A KING
The only marketing I saw for Jordan Tannahill’s provocative new play Prince Faggot, which opened last night at Playwrights Horizons (a co-production with Soho Rep), was the single-line tease: “Let us tell you a fairy tale about a prince.” It didn’t prepare me for the electrifying, emotionally rich, and theatrically thrilling experience waiting in the intimate Peter Jay Sharp Theater.
This is no fairy tale in the traditional sense—not Grimm, not Disney. But the word fairy is used deliberately. Here, it evokes queerness as well as fantasy, myth as well as metaphor. Yes, this is a queer coming-of-age tale. But it’s also a bold political fantasy and a deeply personal theatrical ritual.
Rachel Crowl as Catherine (Kate), Princess of Wales; K. Todd Freeman as William, Prince of Wales
Like Mike Bartlett’s King Charles III, (2016 Tony nom for Best Play), Prince Faggot plays in the realm of “what-if” monarchy. But while Bartlett imagined the power struggle of Charles assuming the throne and what-if he stepped aside for William to take over, Tannahill turns his eye toward Prince George and wonders: What if the future king were openly gay? And further, what if his royal marriage reflected the lived experiences of the queer community?
But Tannahill doesn’t stop at a single speculative thread. The play is a meta-theatrical tragicomedy where gay and trans ensemble members step out of character to share personal histories—anecdotes of childhood photos and early moments that made their queerness legible long before adolescence. By intertwining these real voices with the fantasy of a queer Prince George, the play becomes an urgent invitation: to see ourselves as royalty, to reimagine power, to claim visibility.
John McCrea as Prince George; Mihir Kumar as Dev Chatterjee
Directed by Shayok Misha Chowdhury, the two-hour production flies by. Every element is in sync, each theatrical craft supporting the play’s fearless vision. David Zinn’s scenic design dissolves the boundary between onstage and off—doors upstage open directly into the actors’ dressing room, blurring art and life. The raised platform stage is full of surprises, always revealing new textures and spaces.
Montana Levi Blanco’s costumes bridge periods and classes, moving from regal finery to middle-class wear with exquisite specificity. The audience reacted audibly to several looks; especially delectable is the royal family’s press rep, Ms. Davies. Isabella Byrd’s lighting moves fluidly through tone—stately, dreamy, disorienting—with a pulse that propels each moment forward. Lee Kinney’s sound and original music are electric, both atmospheric and emotionally charged. Cookie Jordan’s wig and hair design resurrects past queer royalty with grandeur and wit. The intimacy direction by UnkleDave’s Fight-House (Dave Anzuelo) and Paul Rubin’s aerial choreography exceed challenging expectations of the script’s demands for sex, spectacle, and raw exposure.
N’yomi Allure Stewart as Charlotte, Princess of Wales; John McCrea as Prince George
The cast is uniformly excellent, each bringing personal nuance and professional polish. Mihir Kumar (Performer 1) plays Dev, Prince George’s love interest, with charm and magnetism—for whom any prince would fall hard. K. Todd Freeman (Performer 2) offers a deeply humane Prince William, trying to balance his role as a good father and future king. Rachel Crowl (Performer 3) a gem of an actress brings wry depth to Kate. N’yomi Allure Stewart (Performer 4) captures Princess Charlotte with poise, edge, and winning warmth. David Greenspan (Performer 5) excels with astounding timing and transformation as the delicious Ms. Davies and the family butler and confidant. And John McCrea (Performer 6) as Prince George gives a tour-de-force performance—spiky, tender, fractured, radiant. It’s the kind of role actors wait for, and McCrea seizes it with a fearless, full-bodied commitment.
John McCrea as Prince George; Mihir Kumar as Dev Chatterjee
Yes, the title Prince Faggot is audacious—purposefully so. Will it keep the play from wider production? Possibly. If not the title, perhaps the explicit content—the anal intercourse, discussion of fisting, and a general refusal to shy away from queer sexuality in all its complexity. But if American theater still aims to provoke, to expand empathy, to ignite conversation, then this play should be seen in every city—especially the red ones that might resist it most.
Prince Faggot is theater that shocks in the best way: not for outrage, but for revelation. It’s radical, raw, and alive. And above all, it dares to imagine a future where queer children are not just accepted but enthroned.
David Greenspan as Edward II
photos by Marc J. Franklin
Prince Faggot
Playwrights Horizons, Peter J. Sharp Theatre, 416 West 42nd Street
a co-production with Soho Rep
ends on July 6 EXTENDED to July 13, 2025two hours, no intermission
for tickets ($49-$100), visit Playwrights Horizons
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Gregory Fletcher is an author, a theater professor, a playwright, director, and stage manager. His craft book on playwriting is entitled Shorts and Briefs, and publishing credits include two YA novels (Other People’s Crazy, and Other People’s Drama), 2 novellas in the series Inclusive Bedtime Stories, 2 short stories in The Night Bazaar series, and several essays. Website, Facebook, Instagram.