Let me tell you all about The Princess Show.
It was the evening of August 8th, 2019. I was trudging through the rain, notebook to my chest, as I approached the Charlotte Street Arts Centre in Fredericton, New Brunswick.
It’s common knowledge that the older you are, the more things you’ve seen. Well, I had just turned 22 a couple days earlier, and I was about to see a whole lot more than I had ever seen before.
The show began at 7pm, and as I seated myself in the auditorium preparing for the show, I took note of the layout. A DJ was spinning some tunes up on stage, a makeshift bar in the back, most of the floor void of seating though; the audience would be moving around…
Was I reviewing a party?
As I took in my surroundings, I was quickly greeted by two of the lovely cast/crew members, both of them sporting some of the best shoes I’ve ever seen; I didn’t know that heels could be so tall and so thick at the same time. After this quick hello, they returned backstage and I settled into this new, highly-stimulating environment.
It was a happy pre-show hangout in the form of a party; the DJ was spinning everything from electro jazz to chiptune-inspired tracks, everyone was dancing, there were strobe lights of all colours, and I just really could not have asked for a more wholesome hour.
Until, finally, the show began.
We’re introduced to Princess Edward, a young drag performer played by Aaron Collier, whose home had come under attack by a life-shredding storm within the Rotten Sandwich Mountains. Now, lacking the drive to perform, Princess lives with her beloved partner, Abel T. Suckizone.
This backstory was delivered to us via projection screen, with colourful cartoon visuals, Japanese audio, and English subtitles. I wondered how many Dragon Balls would be collected by the end of the show.
As Princess sits in her home, she deliberates with Abel over what their next move should be, and ultimately decides to venture into the Rotten Sandwich Mountains to see if there was any life remaining amongst the ruins of her poor, post-storm home.
It was around this time that I began to understand what kind of show I was in for. The company behind the show, HEIST, put the screen to full use to create a multitude of animated backgrounds, and watching the actors interact with the background so flawlessly was a sight to behold. As Princess marches through the cyberpunk, psychedelic mountains, the scene pans to the right as Princess turns her body with it, creating a marvellous point-of-view effect. HEIST expertly merges screen and stage in the show, as the actors move their bodies with as much mesmerization as the on-screen visuals.
Princess’s eventual discovery of a surviving flower is all for naught, as it’s nowhere to be found when she drags Abel to the mountains to show him her fantastic discovery. Abel urges a disappointed Princess to go home and prepare for her comeback show; her first after a ten-year hiatus. As she trudges off, Abel is soon captured by the scariest monster I’ve ever seen in theatre; a dark, humanoid claymation figure that split itself down the middle as it dragged Abel to its hideout.
Back in Princess’s home, it was time for the show to get meta. The dressing room on screen transformed into Princess’s name in bright neon pink, and we became the audience to Princess Edward’s comeback show. After Princess graces us with her moves, the stage gave way to Fredericton’s own Freeda Whales, with a dazzling performance of her own. This small, intermission-type portion was a brilliant way of engaging the audience without dragging us out of the story; a job well done.
We soon learn that Abel has been brainwashed by the mischievous monsters out in Rotten Sandwich Mountains. Equipped with her trusty Wretched Wig of Shocking (3d8 lighting damage), Princess sets off to rescue her beloved Abel. Thinking of a zanier Pride Week event was comparable to imagining a new colour, at this point.
As she confronts the terrifying mass of Play-Doh keeping Abel hostage, Princess finds a trusty weapon in self-respect. As she begins to dance around the room, channelling her beloved drag identity, the beast begins doing the same, until eventually melting into a tiny little heart. The monster had been inside Princess all along, and she finally learned to fight it.
And as our heroes celebrate their victory with more dancing and strobe lights, we’re shown another storm brewing in the distance, and The Princess Show draws to a close on a cliffhanger. Richie Wilcox, the talent behind Abel, later confirmed that a sequel has already been completed.
Seemingly contrary to the above, The Princess Show employs a rather a simple plot, creating a semblance of order for the sheer amount of content packed into it, and we’re here for it. Described by Wilcox as a “fully lip synched live-action anime drag musical extravaganza,” The Princess Show delivers on every front, from the eye-catching drag performances to the eccentric inclusions of Dungeons & Dragons weapons and gorgeous backgrounds, the show is a great, big, visually striking celebration of queer identity and learning to love yourself.
We’re not sure where The Princess Show will be touring next, but if you want to see a show with lots of colour, silhouettes, EDM, claymation, anime, artistic backdrops, and an open bar behind the dance floor made for the audience, be sure to keep an ear out!