As a play that deals with an important piece of Brighton’s rich and colourful historical fabric, the setting of Hove Town Hall is disappointingly inadequate. Whilst a drab location and an almost lazy set prepare the small audience (there were 5 of us) for something amateur; the captivating vitality of Brown’s multifaceted performance transport the handful of us out of what could have been an awkwardly close encounter in Conference Room 2 to an intimate exploration of the lavishness of Brighton in the 19th century and of the early King George IV himself.
In his one-man show Jonathan Brown, the writer and the star proves he is anything but a one-trick pony. He leads his hour and a half monologue through the highs and lows of the sordid underbelly of the royal experience; a depiction of prince hood that feels continually relevant today. From a brief tirade on his mischievous childhood years, the soliloquy climaxes in intensity as the Prince does, after staggering up Church Street and into the “soft hills and misty moonlit valley” of a promiscuously commanding woman. The abrupt sexuality is presented confidently and honestly.
There is an undoubtedly Wildean tone to the performance as waltzes, wine and women are the primary commanding forces of the Prince’s attention. Vast emotional range is reached however, after he is forced to face the consequences of cavorting with the occult. These consequences ultimately leave him questioning the relationship between children and their parents and, more specifically, his troubled relationship with his father.
A fantastic insight into the Fringe’s host city; the play is an engagingly nostalgic portrayal of Brighton’s conception as the feisty, playful and amusing city she remains today. Brown shines in his convincing depiction of a man who helped birth Brighton and the scandal that makes this city what it is.
