By Grace Hatchell, 2nd Act Couriers
Well now. There’s a bright red envelope in my satchel and I must confess — I don’t usually do bright red. I’m more of a sensible Royal Mail shade. But with Valentine’s Day looming, perhaps I can make an exception… especially when the red in question belongs to The Red Prince.
Nice New Tie present The Red Prince, a new comedy by Tim Dawson, directed by Susan Nickson, opening at the The Lion & Unicorn Theatre with press night on Thursday 26 February at 7.30pm running until 7th March 2026.
Craig Kitman MP didn’t sign up for this. It’s been 18 months since Labour’s so-called “loveless landslide” swept him into Parliament. Eighteen months of voting on policies he barely understands. Constituents he can’t help. Abuse, failure and late-night drinking sessions that feel less like power and more like panic.
And that’s where we meet him.
One man. One constituency office. Wondering how on earth he got here — and more importantly, how he gets out.
Then comes a call from terrier-like journalist Abi McCormack. And if there’s one thing more dangerous than a struggling MP, it’s a determined reporter with questions.
Written by Tim Dawson, whose credits include BBC Radio 4’s Not For Turning as well as The Now Show and Breaking The News, The Red Prince blends political satire with something sharper underneath. This isn’t simply a comedy about Westminster mishaps. It’s about loneliness. Inadequacy. The uncomfortable reality of what happens when a system elevates people who may not be ready for the weight of it.
It’s also — delightfully — about cushions full of cash, pickled onion Space Raiders and the going rate for human connection in Greater Manchester. Which suggests this isn’t going to be polite drawing-room satire.
Direction comes from Susan Nickson, creator of Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps and writer of Birds of a Feather and Rosie Molloy Gives Up Everything, bringing substantial television comedy pedigree to the production.
Benjamin May takes on the role of Craig Kitman. No stranger to political figures, he previously portrayed David Cameron in Windrush: The Betrayal and has appeared on stage in The Importance of Being Earnest and King Lear, as well as in film and voice work.
The Red Prince promises strong language, adult themes and references to drugs and mental health, positioning itself firmly in grown-up satire territory.
At its heart, though, the play asks a simple and uncomfortable question: Craig Kitman is not a bad man. He’s just not up to it. Then again — who is?
I may not usually do red. But when it comes wrapped in satire, cynicism and a slightly crumpled constituency office carpet… I’ll make an exception.
For more information on tickets and the Lion & Unicorn Theatre and its forthcoming shows, visit:
www.thelionandunicorntheatre.com
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