Odyssey: A Heroic Pantomime.

A festive Christmas pantomime with a twist by Charles Court Opera has brought their 2023 production of Odyssey: A Heroic Pantomime! to Jermyn Street Theatre from 23rd November to 31st December.

The colourful stage backdrop fills the back of the staged area and the cast uses various built-in windows throughout the performance to enter the stage and add comedic sections. Neon lights advertise that the cast are at Mount Olympus.

The highly accomplished cast of five brings a vast range of ancient Greek characters to life from Hermes (the well-known delivery company), Trojan (the horse), Medusa and Cyclops to name but a few. All with a comedic edge as they venture on their quest.

Script and direction by John Savournin incorporate Greek mythology characters with some modern-day famous faces, Cilla Black certainly adds “Lorra lorra laughs”. The characters created by Savournin are well-scripted and very funny.

Musical direction by David Eaton incorporated well-known songs from across the generations and added well-placed lyrics to fit the Mythical storyline. From Boney M’s Rasputin to Natalie Imbruglia’s Torn.

There’s plenty of the traditional “oh no you didn’t” audience participation during the evening which was well received. Watch out for the frogs, they raised plenty of laughter and slight bewilderment within the auditorium.

This may not appear to be a traditional pantomime on the surface. However, it has all the ingredients to be one with a few unique added extras. It offers a fantastic night of escapism for adults (due to the humour) during the festive season. I think watching their annual pantomime could become one of my Christmas traditions.