The Sun King

A wonderful play that understands its identity and themes very well.

It features a highly compelling script, exploring a story often told—the age-old 'coming of age' narrative—through a fresh device that makes what could have been a rather static story dynamic and immersive. In terms of prose, the standout is certainly the dialogue between Jamie and the Sun King, which creates a power dynamic and a back-and-forth that is both frightening and alluring. It's almost reminiscent of 'other world' stories like The Wizard of Oz or Carroll's work but adds a unique twist. Instead of sending our protagonist to those worlds, it brings the symbol of those worlds to us, creating an air of mystery and intimidation around 'the other' that evokes its queer themes and crescendos in the climax where Jamie crosses the threshold to Summerland.

The cast hits every emotional beat well, with the two leads being especially exceptional in creating that electric relationship which makes the play so captivating. However, the supporting actors do a great job of injecting humour and grounding the plot. The lighting and sound design should also be highlighted, particularly the non-diegetic clang whenever the crown prop was placed down, which was both charming and exciting.

All in all, this is a play I would definitely recommend to friends, and I would very much enjoy seeing it again, perhaps in an extended form.

Very promising work, offering a new angle on a very old human experience. The young actors do not miss a beat - even with the joy of the street noise ten feet away. Worth a look: this is what the Fringe was created for.

The Sun King was an absolute joy to watch. Both of the lead actors were incredible in their roles, portraying different ages and different characters with ease. The supporting cast were excellent as well and helped to provide some more light hearted scenes to balance out the more intense conflicts. The climax of the show was a highlight for me personally and was acted out very well. The use of lighting throughout the show was incredible helping to elevate the scenery. Overall an amazing show I would recommend everyone to see.

Incredibly well written show, it deals with the themes of oppressive regimes, homophobic societies, and othering of minorities in such an engaging performance. The cast did an incredible job acting as the different ages in Jamie’s journey, which is a hard thing to portray, but the passage of time, and also the time of day shown within the lighting, is done seamlessly and works to elevate the story. Honestly such an incredible time watching this show, there were plenty of comedic lines that felt really authentic to the ages the actors portray, and served to really flesh out the characters and their stories.

A compelling play that is like an old-school Fringe show, not fully formed or totally polished and that's how it should be. Very enigmatic performances from the two leads, not really sure what the role of the cousin was in the plot but well-played. Portraying teens is never easy even when you're not that much older and I felt this bit didn't come off that well and they could've done with a bit of manic energy. Not much to laugh at but it doesn't really seem like that sort of story.

“The Sun King”
Calling on his perspective and early life experiences as a young, Turkish queer growing up under the same, repressive president for the past 21 years, Uğyr Özcan has created a spellbinding, emotionally charged queer coming of age fantasy. The young twenty-something Özcan, who easily can still pass for a young teen, melds difficult national politics, a homophonic environment, and children’s fantasy stories to catalogue his own coming out and his contemplating and imagining a better future for himself. While the pace sometimes falters a bit with imagined sequences that become somewhat repetitive, overall the story’s effect is powerful and lasting.
Rating: 4 E

The two main leads played out their story incredibly well. Unfortunately the additional actors gave the impression that they didn't want to be there. (In fact a behind curtain comment at the end proved that one of them really didn't want to be there). A rewrite to keep 2 actors on stage focusing the audience on the central story would be beneficial.

An interesting idea, with strong premise of paralleling queer/wider political issues between fantasy and reality and the tension of coming of age not only into oneself but into one’s nation. However, the script can occasionally tend toward cliche or heavy handed, letting down the premise, and direction sometimes feels stilted, with characters feeling trapped by their staging. Despite this, some strong messages, moments, and themes, and this play certainly has potential.

A lovely coming-of-age-and-coming-out story. The message within the story seemed to lose its way every now and again, but then the concepts were big and unashamed, which was lovely to see tackled on this stage. The writing itself was beautiful, and the actors were well-cast and capable in their roles. I found it touching, nostalgic, and endearing. A lovely little play with a lovely story to tell.

Interesting ideas and the two central characters communicate them well. They and some simple theatrical devices enable you to follow the ideas through. Maybe sometimes dealing with both the central character realising their sexual identification and a repressive national regime feels a bit heavy handed.