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While elsewhere in London town Beauty sleeps and Dick does his thing, Charles Court Opera and the Rosemary Branch keep rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ – dispensing with traditional panto plots in favour of their own. And this year it’s the turn of the Wild West.
Will Billy the Kid – here played by Matthew Kellett as an actual goat – escape a stuffing by evil cockney peddler Micky Mumford? Will the Sheriff win the heart of statuesque saloon owner Nelly or her incredibly similar-looking sister, Chief Raging Hormone? And will Buckaroo Dan rescue his ranch and find love with Mumford’s servant, Pocabeaver?
The stereotypes here are so cartoon Americana, it’d be hard to take offence. Apart from Micky’s business (Mumford & Sons – groan) and a bit of twerking, writer John Savournin – also on directing and performing duties – ditches bang-up-to-date pop culture references in favour of ‘Carry On’ names, gleefully bad puns and end-of-the-pier innuendoes.
Continuing the old-fashioned feel, the music mostly consists of reworkings of pop classics, from ‘Up Where We Belong’ to a stupidly enjoyable version of ‘Mr Sandman’ by glove-puppet coyotes. This is a high point of a markedly better second half, which weaves in a great little homage to ‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’.
The fine-voiced cast throw themselves into it, with Savournin winning the most laughs as Dame-in-all-but-name Nelly. William Fricker’s set is a colourfully stylised treat that makes great use of the Rosemary Branch’s small stage space. And it all comes in at an energetically lean two hours.
If there’s any problem, it’s that it’s not clear how much a younger audience would take away from the show’s reference points. But this is a refreshingly different spin on the traditional panto that remains true to its spirit: a lovingly choreographed, creampie-filled show that ticks all the boxes for an entertaining evening.