Casting is announced for Charles Court Opera’s boutique pantomime Rumpelstiltskin, at Park Theatre, running 13 December 2022 – 14 January 2023.
CCO favourite and Offie-nominated Philip Lee, and rising star comedian Emily Cairns (shortlisted for The BBC New Comedy Awards and a semi-finalist in the 2022 Funny Women Awards) will appear alongside newcomers Tamoy Phipps and Lucy Whitney.
The writing team behind last year’s Offie Award-winning hit, Beowulf, are back with a completely re-imagined, madcap fairy tale with a brand new script by John Savournin that promises a new story of names, identities, adventure and hilarity, and new music and lyrics by David Eaton.
John Savournin also directs, with musical direction by David Eaton and choreography by David Hulston (Associate Director on ‘Strictly Ballroom’).
John Savournin said: “I’m so delighted to be presenting CCO’s new Christmas panto at the fantastic Park Theatre. Rumpelstiltskin is a brilliant fairytale, ideal for a CCO festive makeover, and we’re so excited about all the off-the-wall mischief we have up our sleeves for audiences.”
Charles Court has been described as one of the leading and most versatile chamber opera and music theatre companies in the UK. Alongside their critically acclaimed opera and musical theatre productions, their notorious ‘Boutique Pantos’ are a legendary part of north London’s Christmas, known for their ‘off-piste’ nature and described by the Daily Telegraph as “an annual madhouse”. Their first panto was in 2007 at the intimate Rosemary Branch Theatre. They then moved to the King’s Head Theatre, where they are proud to be an associate company, in 2015. Last year’s smash-hit ‘Beowulf’ at the King’s Head Theatre won ‘Best Panto’ at the Offies, and received 4 other nominations.
They are also considered one of the champions of the reinvigoration of Gilbert and Sullivan, described as “the masters of G&S in small places” and winners of the 2020 Off-West-End award for Best Opera Production for ‘H.M.S. Pinafore’. They are committed to devising new work, and have recently achieved major critical success for their collaborations with Opera Holland Park (‘The Pirates of Penzance’, ‘HMS Pinafore’) and Wilton’s Music Hall (‘Patience’).
