A queer fantasy musical about love, revenge, and everything that comes in between.
Written by Mel Hornyak (book, lyrics) and Elliot Valentine (book, lyrics, music)
The Story: The Art of Pleasing Princes is a full length new musical with an elecropop-inspired score. In a glittering royal palace at the center of a cataclysmic drought, five queer misfits band together to kill the king and save the world. Betrayal, infighting, and paranoia make forming community harder – and more necessary – than ever before.
The Motivation: This show was originally inspired by the experience of falling in love and trying to navigate and construct queer relationships under situations where one’s public and private lives are under constant scrutiny. The revision, first performed in 2026, also deals with themes of community building, solidarity, and privilege – digging into how and why queer people realize our complicity in oppressive systems, and what must be done once we do so.
Developmental History
April 2026– Workshop Production
Hobart & William Smith Colleges
Phoenix Players
Directed by Dee Gilner
April 2022 – Staged Reading
Whitman Theatre
Princeton University Players
Directed by Solomon Bergquist
Mel Hornyak 