Young Pretender

“I, now, yes, me, now,” whispers a wild-eyed Bonnie Prince Charlie, facing down certain defeat on the eve of the 1746 Battle of Culloden. In this dynamic reimagining of the failed Jacobite uprising, playwright EV Crowe has melded history and contemporary pop culture to create an exhilarating modern version of the infamous prince, resplendent in skinny jeans and Cuban heels, and with all the lanky, angular charm of a coked-up Jarvis Cocker. 

Over the course of three breathless scenes, the story follows Charlie from bullish, irrepressible leader to the ignominy of humiliating defeat, before finally returning to the prince’s original landing in Eriskay two years earlier, where he first used his charm to convince an army of Highlanders to join the Jacobite cause. In each scene, Crowe’s lively writing conjures a different, but highly believable version of the prince, flitting from megalomania to vulnerability to manipulative charm. The script also pithily fuses old and new, imagining the hapless prince with all the sinister charisma and calculation of a populist politician (“Who ok’d ‘Bonnie’?). 

At times, though, this slick dialogue is a little overwrought and feels like an exercise in showcasing Crowe’s writing abilities rather than constructing a coherent narrative. To their credit, the three-strong cast grapple admirably with the play’s breakneck pace, with Rebecca Elise turning in the standout performance as Flora. The only slight weakness is the chemistry between Paul Woodson as Charlie and Chris Starkie as his loyal protector, Donald, who fail to convince as intimate companions, let alone to raise Crowe’s faint suggestion of homoeroticism.