Popular Reviews of His Royal Fakin' Highness

made me cry SEVERAL times it’s so good!! 11/10

In this romcom reimagining of Hamlet, childhood frienemies playboy Hamlet and no-nonsense Ophelia pretend to be engaged to ensure the throne passes to Hamlet. While looking for a way out of the fake engagement, they realize their feelings for each other, Ophelia gains a bit more confidence, and Hamlet develops more maturity. They grapple with love vs duty in respect to royal relationships. The third act breakup is over such a non-issue that they don't really address a lot of it when they make up. The references to Hamlet's and Ophelia's past friendship add to their relationship development, and they share some sweet moments and fun banter. The side characters, especially Rosie and Gill, are entertaining (I enjoyed how they were used to incorporate the concept of Hamlet's father's ghost), and Ophelia is an enjoyable character as well, especially with the actress' delivery. I'm not a huge fan of the playboy archetype, so it took longer to warm up to Hamlet.