What happens after “happily ever after” in fairytales, when the romance palls and real life begins? In the Belgian playwright Ignace Cornelissen’s drama, things haven’t turned out well at all. For the last five years, the prince (Philip Arditti) has been holed up in his hunting lodge, grieving the mysterious disappearance of the bride he loved. There had been whispers in court that she was incapable of carrying out royal duties and had learned to “yawn through her ears”, so nobody noticed. She was on her way to a deportment class when she simply vanished.
Now he’s under pressure to marry again. The gossip magazines are full of speculation about the new royal bride, tipping Made in Chelsea clone Daisy (Fiona Sheehan), and the prince is holding a ball for all the kingdom’s unmarried ladies, including Daisy’s cleaner, Charlotte (Rhiann Francis). But Daisy knows who is top girl and deserves the most respect. She is determined to bag the prince of her dreams.
Cornelissen’s Henry the Fifth, inspired by Shakespeare’s play, was a hit at the Unicorn in 2013, cleverly questioning the nature of heroism by turning war into a playground squabble, and delivered in an eye-catching production by Ellen McDougall. This show is far less layered as it considers class, status, the myth of romantic love, the way female friendships are derailed by boys and sisterhood that turns to rivalry.
But Purni Morell’s staging is not without its pleasures. This often visually lush production (designed by Simone Romaniuk in crushed crimson satins and autumn colours), conjures a ballroom cum forest where the trees are made of chains. Morell holds her nerve and never allows the production to be hurried. In the opening sequence, the play neatly makes the point that the prince, awkward and insecure about his thinning hair, is not such a catch. There is a brilliant moment when it becomes apparent that all the women at the ball, including Daisy, have employed the same device to snare him. Her outraged “Bitches!” is a delight.
There is also a smart soundtrack, from Ella Fitzgerald’s Who Walks in When I Walk Out to Dolly Parton’s Stand By Your Man. But while the play endeavours to be honest about female friendships, it sometimes descends into cliche, particularly when it comes to the catfight between the two women. Morell gives it an almost cartoonish absurdity, but it still plays to the Mean Girls stereotype and traditional fairytale tropes. It would have been nice to see it subverted for the young audience. Still, Hunting Lodge is a fun hour, with Arditti, Francis and Sheehan all terrifically engaging as they try to see the wood for the trees.
• At the Unicorn, London, until 6 March. Box office: 020-7645 0560.
