By Variety | Created at 2025-03-27 09:31:07 | Updated at 2025-04-05 10:38:59
1 week ago
After back-to-back Edinburgh Fringe hits, Awkward Productions is returning with a new queer romantic comedy parody that aims to subvert the traditional holiday movie genre.
“The Fit Prince (Who Gets Switched on the Square in the Frosty Castle the Night Before (Insert Public Holiday Here))” will premiere at Edinburgh Fringe, running July 30-Aug. 25, before transferring to London’s King’s Head Theatre for a Dec. 2-Jan. 3, 2026 run.
The show follows the fictional country of Swedonia, where the king has died and the prince must marry or forfeit the crown. Meanwhile in New York, a struggling baker receives a mysterious royal commission to create a wedding cake for the Swedonian prince.
Written by and starring Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, the production is described as “the chaotic queer cousin” to Netflix and Hallmark holiday films. The real-life couple (who are set to marry after the Fringe run) will play romantic leads opposite each other for the first time.
Golden Globe-nominated songwriter Leland, known for his work with Troye Sivan, Kylie Minogue and “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” has composed original music for the production.
The show continues Awkward Productions’ signature style of interactive, fourth-wall-breaking theater that has become its trademark. The company’s previous hit “Gwyneth Goes Skiing” sold out its 2024 Edinburgh run and toured the U.S. in 2025, while “Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story” won the Off-Fest Award for best play at the Fringe.
Karp, a Swedish actor and writer who founded Awkward Productions with Martin in 2017, has developed a reputation for high-camp theatrical productions that blend pop culture commentary with queer celebration. Swedonia is described as a “suspiciously familiar, completely fictional country” inspired by Karp’s native Sweden. Audiences can expect what the company calls “queer joy, wild silliness and camp theatrical brilliance from start to finish.”
