📍The King’s Head Theatre, London

⭐️⭐️⭐️ .5

🎟️ PR Invite

‘The Mad Gay King’ is a queer retelling of the life of Bavaria’s 19^th century monarch King Ludwig II; a passionate exploration of a King known also as the ‘Swan’ or Fairytale’ King, in part due to the lavish funding of fairytale-esque castles during his reign. His less complimentary colloquial title – the ‘Mad King’ – is critiqued and redeemed in this new play through the lens of his lover, a stable master Richard Hornig.

Playwright Christopher Adams-Cohen’s UK debut is a triumph with this piece; through the 70 minutes ‘The Mad Gay King’ manages to balance light with dark, humour with passion and history with fantasy. Adams-Cohen is clever not to attempt to cram too much of the broad strokes of history into the one-act play and thus the piece does not feel as if it is a simple biography of Ludwig II; instead we are invited to recall details of a forbidden relationship from Richard Hornig’s perspective as he laments the king’s untimely death one year on. The political backdrop creates an undercurrent of tension rippling through the action as we watch a King struggle to cope with the weight of expectation put upon his shoulders. For a King who came to power at the age of 18, was known for his spending on lavish architectural projects before being deposed and dying by suicide (though this is disputed), this piece gives an alternative perspective of Ludwig II as he is vindicated by a modern and more compassionate lens than the history books perhaps offer.

The small ensemble of actors bring electricity to the stage. Elijah Ferreira as Ludwig II channels a manic passion reminiscent of Mozart in Peter Shaffer’s Amadeus, showcasing impressive range through beautifully woven soliloquies scattered through the piece. David Buttle’s Hornig feels as if it is lifted out of a Bronte novel: brooding, dark and mysterious, his raw performance helps to ground ensemble moments which otherwise at times veer into caricature. Together, they form a palpable chemistry as secret lovers, forming a moving and tender relationship as two lonely characters seeking companionship. The script felt structured in the form of vignettes as we flashback through the relationship between Ludwig and Hornig, and as a result I was left craving more character development – there seemed a lot of untapped backstory and motivation from both Hornig and Ludwig, but Ferreira and Buttle do well to create a sense of connection and shared history despite it sometimes feeling as if there were a scene missing. Bernadine Pritchett and Thom Tuck, as Woman and Man respectively, complete the quartet of actors. They step into various roles including Ludwig’s majestic mother, and the prima donna composer Richard Wagner, effortlessly multi-roling (sometimes mid-scene) and delivering both lighter and more humorous moments as well as stoking the tension throughout.

The King’s Head Theatre works perfectly for the piece. The staging is appropriately intimate with the performance space set into a thrust with audience at three sides. The aesthetic on stage is minimal with four moveable upright LED strips utilised to create various locations on stage. It is a clever concept which creates powerful visuals, whilst successfully indicating shifts in location with quick transitions. However, despite the effective simplicity of this design, the atmosphere sometimes felt interrupted by actors moving LED strips during a scene change, leaving some scenes feeling disjointed as a result. This simple but successful design, along with J. Aria’s evocative sound design, helps to connect the content to the modern day. Through the narrative we balance on the cusp of both the 19^th century and modern day, with the costumes leaning into the regency of the piece, but bass-y club music transporting us into the present; the more moving moments such as the beginning and especially the epilogue of the play are perfectly punctuated by J. Aria’s stirring soundscapes.

‘The Mad Gay King’ is the story of one man from centuries passed in the position of immense political and social power, but this company, under Scott Le Crass’s direction, succeed in breathing new life into these figures and granting the story a contemporary relevancy.

The Mad Gay King plays at the King’s Head Theatre until the 18^th October.

Tickets and information: https://kingsheadtheatre.com/whats-on/the-mad-gay-king