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As they prepare to head back to the United States, the creators of Awkward Productions discuss their latest work, performing around the world, and comparisons to the Broadway and West End success, Oh, Mary!
Moments into Vada’s chat with Linus Karp and Joseph Martin, the couple behind Awkward Productions, we’re delivered some fresh, hot off the press news: The Fit Prince (who gets switched on the square in the frosty castle the night before (insert public holiday here)), the pair’s latest show, has just been nominated for four Fringe Awards; Duo Performance in a Play, Director, Production, and Puppetry Contribution.
The news comes days into the London run of The Fit Prince at the King’s Head Theatre. “It’s going good,” exhales Martin. “It’s our most accomplished show in terms of the heightened elements of our video cameos, our audience participation, the technical capacities.”
Like the pair’s previous shows, Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story and Gwyneth Goes Skiing, which provide a queer take on both Princess Diana and follow Gwyneth Paltrow’s ski trial respectively, the latest show features Awkward Productions’ typical brand of camp, zany humour and pop culture references. Though this is an original story, not one based on a well-known public figure. “It feels nice to know that we can create a world and characters that people love and care about, rather than relying on a blonde woman,” Karp says to that point.
Linus Karp and Joseph Martin in The Fit Prince. (Provided)The current run of The Fit Prince (playing at The King’s Head Theatre until 3 January) comes at the end of a busy year for Awkward Productions. After starting the year touring the world with Gwyneth and Diana the pair returned to the Edinburgh Fringe with The Fit Prince (and Diana) where the pair were listed among numerous top picks of shows to see. They also got married onstage at the Fringe before a more private wedding with friends and family. Then in October and November there was the New York run of Gwyneth, which attracted the attention of Robert Downey Jr., who referenced the show during a tribute to the Goop founder earlier this month.
You might think after all that Karp and Martin would want to spend the first part of the new year getting some well-earned rest. Wrong! They’re heading back Stateside with Gwyneth and Diana from 6 to 28 January with stops in New York, Aspen (for Gay Ski Week), and Los Angeles.
So, how are they doing? “Tired… I’d love to go to sleep,” Martin says brightly, who admits to enjoying being at home on the couple’s new sofa. Karp adds, “It’s been an amazing year and a lot of it doesn’t feel like it happened. But there have been so many amazing highs.”
Weddings and good reviews aside, a lot has come from this year. “It’s been very reassuring,” says Karp of how global audiences have responded to the pair’s very British shows and sense of humour. Sweden was a big stop for Karp, who is Swedish, and was delighted to find the shows were a hit there as well. “It does translate internationally and that has felt very special,” he beams.
Joseph Martin and Linus Karp in The Fit Prince. (Anna Clare)The Fit Prince hasn’t undergone many changes since the Fringe but mostly because there hasn’t been time. It is, however, more Christmas focused, “which is where it sits best” Karp assesses. “Throughout the Fringe, it got slicker, it got quicker,” explains Martin. “And, as with all our shows, we’re still making little tweaks here and there. But generally, the show is always working to be as slick as possible.”
What has also changed is the venue size. The King’s Head’s is a more intimate setting. “For our shows, given how much audience participation there is, I feel like that brings everyone in as well. That’s been really enjoyable,” Karp says.
Anyone who has been to an Awkward Productions show knows that audience participation is a key element. Additionally, Karp and Martin rely on a gang of friends and contributors who appear via video cameos to flesh out their casts as well as the occasional puppet.
Audience roles are handed out before each show, with it being made clear its ok to say no if it’s not your thing. Each role comes with a prop or small bit of costume as well as an explanation of how it all works, with video screens on stage projecting lines for audience members. It’s very easy, though this writer has yet to be asked…
Karp shares that the audience participation aspect of their shows is so well known they frequently get people coming in asking to be involved. People have even come back for repeat performances to play other roles having played one the night before, for instance.
The saying goes “there are no small parts, only small actors.” And even the smallest roles in Awkward Productions shows draw cheers from the audience. One example in The Fit Prince is ‘Customer.’ “They come on and they do basically nothing and the audience always cheers for them,” says Karp. “And that just sets a fun, safe environment.” Martin picks up. “What also helps is people might be nervous to begin with. But with the audience roles in this show, they grow in responsibility of things to do. I think that helps the rest of the audience members who are going to be in it later see this is safe and they can be silly and have fun.”
Linus Karp and Joseph Martin in The Fit Prince. (Anna Clare)Ahead of a return to the US, Karp and Martin are still basking in the success of their last run. For both, performing in New York was a dream come true. “It feels very cool to go on stage in New York,” Karp sings merrily of their numerous sold-out shows. “You can feel the buzz and energy in the room. The audience was exactly what we wanted. As soon as we went to blackout before the show, people started cheering. That felt so exciting.”
Martin echoes their partner. “That’s one of the things you dream about, right? You want to be an actor being in a show in New York. Being on Broadway is the goal, but we weren’t too far away from it, which is nice.” Karp had a similar feeling performing in LA previously having grown up obsessed with cinema. “To go on stage and be Gwyneth Paltrow in LA. I was just like; this is a dream I never knew I had.”
And while Awkward Productions make their way to Broadway, the success of Oh, Mary!, a similarly out-there comedy from a queer creator, suggests audiences have an appetite for something a little different. The comparison between Oh, Mary! And Awkward Productions is not a new one either.
“People have quite often compared us to Oh, Mary!” recalls Karp. Since it exploded into the public consciousness, and having seen it themselves now with Jane Krakwoski in the lead role they’re very happy to be mentioned in the same breath. “It was so fantastic, so smart and stupid and queer,” effuses Karp in his review. “The best comedy I’ve ever seen. It’s so brilliant and so brilliantly directed. So, yeah, being compared to that is just amazing,” he continues.
Both he and Martin are inspired by Oh, Mary!’s success with that of Titanique and Operation Mincemeat also indicating a change in audience’s interests. “I feel like that shows that there is an appetite for that kind of show. So, that gives hope,” says Karp. Martin adds. “It does give me hope,” before addressing producers, “Now stop calling them and call us instead!”
Joseph Martin and Linus Karp in The Fit Prince. (Anna Clare)Going forward the pair are adamant anything they do will feel like Awkward Productions, be it theatre, screen work (something the pair are keen to work on) or podcast. December has also seen the launch of the pair’s podcast, My Roman Empire, where they sit down with people to talk about their pop culture obsessions. Like their shows it promises to be inherently funny, very queer, and totally ridiculous in the best way possible.
It’s been in the works for a while. “It’s an excuse for us to talk more about pop culture and to talk to the people we love about pop culture,” explains Karp. He adds, “our pop culture obsessions obviously become our jobs,” answering the inevitable question about what their ‘Roman Empires’ are. “Whatever we’re obsessed with, we tend to turn into work,” he says highlighting Gwyneth and Diana. “And it feels like a good way to make sure that we still have pop culture in our brand,” chimes Martin. He adds, “It’s a nice way to be able to stay in touch with our audience and for them to be able to still hear us [while touring].”
As the conversation comes to an end, we take one more moment to reflect on the last few years of Awkward Productions. Having enjoyed several viral moments, they’ve naturally built up a loyal follower base. Ultimately though, through all the success what it comes down to is “it’s the two of us and we make the shows in this silly flat and we go and perform them at silly theatres or whatever,” says Martin. “But like we do have a group of fans and that’s really, really lovely.” Still, both creatives take their roles seriously. “We feel a degree of responsibility towards the people who do come and see our shows to make sure that we deliver for them and give them what they expect to see,” concludes Martin.
The Fit Prince (who gets switched on the square in the frosty castle the night before (insert public holiday here)) is playing at the King’s Head Theatre until 3 January.
