King of Prussia: 1995
- Written by Nick Darke
- Designed by Bill Mitchell
- Directed by Mike Shepherd
- Music by Jim Carey
You can find a programme here.
The show followed the story of John Carter and his brothers from Porthlea Cove (Prussia Cove) – a smuggling family. It was very successful, and included a re-tour with Mike Shepherd replacing Tristan Sturrock as John Carter.
It was our first time in London, playing at Donmar Warehouse. Sam Mendes was artistic director of the Donmar Warehouse. After an initial awful review in the Evening Standard, the show received universal good reviews. It sold out, and caused a stir. Richard Eyre (then Artistic Director of the National Theatre) was interested in commissioning Nick Darke and the company for the National. Trevor Nunn took over from Richard Eyre at the National, he flew to Cornwall to watch a performance and then commissioned the company and Nick Darke to make and perform a new play for the National. The Riot performed at the National in 1999.
King of Prussia was essentially brandy smuggling back in the 1800s and it felt very relevant to Kneehigh, because there was a lot of political intrigue, as it were, within the writing of the show, which is Nick Darke in a nutshell. It’s not just about a Poldark-style show about brandy smuggling. There's a lot more to it with references to modern politics and that side of it. It felt very poignant for us to do it.
