An empowering comedy based on the incredible true story Princess Dinubolu.
‘Shall I tell you a secret? Anyone can be a Queen, but a real Queen wears the crown, she doesn’t let the crown wear her’
Discover the world of Edwardian seaside beauty pageants at the Globe this summer, as Princess Essex, a new play by Anne Odeke, bursts into our iconic open-air theatre.
It’s Southend-on-Sea, Essex, in 1908. Princess Dinubolu of Senegal enters a beauty contest at the iconic Kursaal, Europe’s biggest entertainment complex. Meet: Princess Essex.
A fast-paced, music-filled, comedy based on the incredible true story of the first woman of colour to enter a beauty pageant in the UK. Writer and performer Anne Odeke (A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Globe) makes her Globe playwriting debut, celebrating unapologetic authenticity, audacity, and challenging the stereotypes that we still cling to.
Robin Belfield (Twelfth Night, RSC) makes his debut at The Globe directing this inspiring story of bravery, beauty and belonging.
Content guidance: This play contains themes of racism, colonialism and misogyny, and includes racist and ableist language, sexual assault and stage violence.
The Essex Princess, a monologue, was commissioned for Misfits by Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch and first performed on 12 November 2020. This evolved into a first version of Princess Essex, a one-person play that toured with the support of Arts Council England, Queen’s Theatre Hornchurch, Matthew Schmolle, The Mercury Theatre Colchester, Creative Estuary and the South Essex African & Caribbean Association (SEACA) from February 2022.
TICKETS
Previews (Seated) £49 – 15
All other performances (Seated) £75 – £25
Standing £10, £5
Hundreds of £5 tickets for every performance, hundreds more at £10. Book early for the best prices.
Running time TBC
This event is on-site in the Globe Theatre, 21 New Globe Walk, Bankside, London SE1 9DT
Further Information: Princess Essex | What’s On | Shakespeare's Globe