Last year the talented and innovative Creative team at Charles Court Opera presented the fabulous Five-star Nativity Panto (one of the highlights of last season pantomime offerings) at their traditional Kings Head Theatre venue, the intimate space behind the bar at the famous London Pub theatre in Islington. This year in Tier 3 and in any case in a venue almost impossible to socially distance in, they present their 14th annual Christmas show online. As in previous years it shows all the creativity of past shows and the fine singers with a strong Opera background have a great deal of fun reworking well known tunes with new lyrics by David Eaton. They offer two versions Adult and Children’s, and I watched the Adult one!
Director and writer John Savournin fully embrace the medium and the year we have had with a show packed with witty jokes about Covid and Lockdown and adds “interactive” moments in which we vote for actions by the cast. It’s a nice innovation although it does not always work and in some ways slows the pace of the show as the screen semi freezes. It is no substitute for a shout out from a loud audience but a bold attempt in the circumstances. Indeed, the production values are quite high with a colourful set in the Riverside Studio, bright good-looking costumes, and effective lighting so that the various locations, the cottage exterior and interior, Queen’s Mirror and the woods are artily created and set the scene for the five regular main performers.
