Let’s get this straight from the start. BOYKING! is not like any other show you’ll see at the Edinburgh Fringe this year. Not stand-up, not theatre, it’s an absolute blast from start to finish, with London-based American clown Wenker putting in a performance that will blow your tiny minds. 

As the excitable title suggests, BOYKING! is the fast-paced saga of an entitled, hideously indulged Prince. Eight-year-old Wilfred wants it all and it looks like he is getting it from the very start, as he somehow coaxes audience members into handing over their possessions.

What spoilt brat Wilfred really wants though is the big crown that sits on the side of the stage. The trouble is that he has lots of older siblings who are closer in line to it, so he has to use all of his skills – mainly having a tantrum and committing murder, or as he calls it “moydo” – to claim the throne.

Part-Macbeth, part Violet Elizabeth Bott, part Queenie from Blackadder, Willy won’t stop until he is king. Not even new-born babies are safe from his ambition. There’s a panto element to the performance as Willy turns his terrifying gaze on anyone who might get in his way. 

This is a show rooted in bouffon clowning, larger-than-life mockery with something dark and violent bubbling under the surface of slapstick silliness. Lil Wenker (real name though also a description the character) puts in an astonishing performance that hits its stride in the first second and never lets up. Wenker also doubles up as court jester, flipping between roles in the blink of an eye with a playful wink to the audience. Oh, and did I mention that when not plotting his way to the top Willy is sucking milk from a giant breast at the side of the stage?

You could read the piece, created by Wenker and Cecily Nash with original music and artistic guidance from Dan Lees, as political satire, maybe even a cartoonish critique of a certain American President. At times it also has the cautionary tale vibe of one of those old Germanic Victorian horror stories. 

There’s a bit of audience interaction but nothing too terrifying. Maybe the moral is a simple one, that power will always ultimately corrupt. But don’t worry about thinking too hard, just sit back and laugh your socks off. If you haven't already been press ganged into presenting them to Willy as a gift.

Until August 30. Buy tickets here.

Picture by Hudson Hughes

*****