The Lace Market Theatre’s latest production, The Prince, takes everything we think we know about Shakespeare and turns it on its head, with a tale that is in equal parts history, comedy and tragedy – but thankfully with an uplifting ending. The play excellently balances moments of hilarity with more heartfelt speeches, some taken directly from Shakespeare’s work, others from the writer Abigail Thorn. With three trans actors in the leading roles (Esther Warren, Jess Hall and Ami Veera), the play can be seen as an allegory for coming out, and the difficulties that trans people face in trying to discover themselves anew – compared here to an actor taking on a new role.
The play explores the concept of a group of LGBT people who find themselves trapped within Shakespeare’s plays. The explanation of this concept comes about halfway through the first act, with help of a useful projection that allows us to visualise the ways in which these characters can jump from one Shakespeare play to another. The idea of switching between plays is never properly explored though, and The Prince spends most of its time in the world of Henry IV Part I, with a brief detour to Hamlet at the start of the second act. We are immediately introduced to King Henry (Bernard Whelan) and his son Prince Hal (Nathan Hackett), who face rebellion in the form of the Earl of Worcester (David Dunford), Earl of Douglas (Sam Marshall) and Hotspur (Esther Warren). So far, so Shakespeare. And then, all of a sudden, it isn’t.
Serving girls Jen (Jess Hall) and Sam (Ami Veera) speak in regular English and bring the play back to “reality”. Jen in particular is surprised at where she ends up, and confused as to what is going on – Sam has clearly been trapped in this world for a while, and is a little more knowledgeable. Not only does she provide the exposition to explain to the audience exactly what is going on, she also gives us a synopsis of the plot of Henry IV, useful for anyone in the audience who might not be familiar with the play.
Initially, a lot of fun is had with this concept, and Hall and Veera both heavily lean into the comedic aspects, trying their best to stay in character and match the iambic pentameter. Hall’s Jen finds this more difficult, however, eventually breaking her role as she realises that Hotspur is struggling with her sexuality, and that Maureen Mwabueze’s Lady Kate is beginning to question her role as a woman in this world. A very funny scene sees Jen explain the concept of lesbianism to Lady Kate, and there is a recurring motif of a Diet Coke bottle that appears whenever the Shakespearean scene is broken.
Whelan doubles up as Hotspur’s father Northumberland, and various lines from Shakespeare are reinterpreted, as Hotspur’s cowardice at times is referred to as “womanish”, and she is continually commanded to be more manly. Hotspur realises the world is not as it seems when she notices Whelan’s multi-rolling, questioning why her father and the King share the same face. Cue an extraordinary, bizarre scene in which Warren begins to break the set apart and yell expletives at the audience, whilst Whelan and Dunford descend into gobbledegook in place of their usual Shakespearean. It is incredibly funny, unexpected and a true highlight of the play.
The stakes are raised as Jen and Sam realise Hotspur is destined to die at the end of the play, and they set about trying to stop that from happening. Further social commentary is found in the form of Hackett’s Hal, as the disapproval of his father (in the original play, due to the fact that Hal spends too much time drinking with the layabout Falstaff) is reworked into disapproval over Hal’s homosexuality. Hackett is at his best whenever Hal breaks the iambic pentameter and begins ranting to the audience, and it is clear he is having a blast delivering Thorn’s superb dialogue.
The set (Guy Evans) is sparse but serves its purpose, and in the final scene is transformed into something extremely different and appropriate, given the coincidental timing of this play to coincide with Nottingham Pride this weekend. There are several well-choreographed fights throughout (fight choreography courtesy of John Buckeridge), made all the more exciting thanks to Matthew Allcock’s sound design that is sure to get pulses racing. Under the direction of Laurie Owen and Micah Aroha Darmola, the production feels slick, pacy and clear. What could be a confusing concept is easy to grasp, although the ending perhaps leaves one with more questions than answers, a fault of the writing rather than the direction.
This is a fun night of theatre, with lots to enjoy for both Shakespeare and non-Shakespeare fans alike. The cast are all excellent, delivering wonderful renditions of famous Shakespeare speeches (Warren’s ‘To be or not to be’ is nothing less than superb), and creating characters that are easy to root for and fun to watch. Another wonderful success for The Lace Market Theatre.
Tom Morley, July 2025
Review Round-up
“The Prince” – Ken Castle Theatre Reviews – A great review from Kev Castle, who calls the play “a brilliant and fun piece of theatre” with “a lovely closing showing that all’s well that ends well”
Review: The Prince. The Lace Market Theatre – East Midlands Theatre – EMT give the show 5 stars, commending “the cast’s energy” and the “palpable sense of community in the room”
Theatre Review: The Prince at Lace Market Theatre – Left Lion – Finally, Left Lion call the show “a triumph” that “never loses sight of its message amidst the madness”
Broken Legs Blog 