Buttons: Another Cinderella Story at the Rosemary Branch – preview
John Savournin as Mother Superior in last year’s Charles Court Opera panto, The Three Musketeers. Photograph: Bill Knight.
Let’s face it, Christmas pantos can be dreadful.
Yes, of course they are meant to be formulaic – that’s kind of the point – but that doesn’t mean they can’t also have their share of subtly clever jokes, great music and impressive production values.
In short, the fact pantomime is a populist genre associated with kids doesn’t give it carte blanche to be drone-inducing.
For a refreshing counterpoint to many a dumbed down Christmas show, look no further than the annual ‘boutique panto’ at the Rosemary Branch, courtesy of acclaimed company The Charles Court Opera.
This will be the seventh year in a row that this company has staged a panto at this terrific little theatre.
This year’s offering is Buttons: Another Cinderella Story, and as in previous years, there are child-friendly and (dirtier) adults only performances.
It’s hard to overstate just how good these shows are. With a cast of professional opera singers and riotously funny routines, they rival anything in the West End and sell out fast.
The Charles Court Opera’s artistic director John Savournin, 28, who lives in De Beauvoir, says the low key feel of the pub theatre venue helps create a lively atmosphere.
“It’s a little bit secretive,” he says. “People like the idea of going to this little pub and taking a pint upstairs, and they have to go through this little corridor, and they go into this tiny room and get this big experience.”
Savournin, a graduate of Trinity College of Music in Greenwich, says he has “not ruled out” taking a Charles Court Opera show to a bigger stage, but he adds: “Obviously there’s a really great atmosphere at the Rosemary Branch. I always fell it’s like having a Christmas party every night because it’s so close, and people know us so well that it would be difficult to leave.”
In fact, Savournin likes the Rosemary Branch so much he has even hired the place out for his wedding next year.
Buttons: Another Cinderella Story
Rosemary Branch Theatre
2 Shepperton Road, N1 3DT
6 December-8 January