Charles Court Opera Celebrates 10th Anniversary with Hammer Horror-Inspired RUDDIGORE, Now thru March 14

Charles Court Opera is to celebrate its 10th anniversary with the premiere of a Hammer Horror-inspired version of Gilbert & Sullivan's Ruddigore.

Following their smash-hit success with a fresh Goth-inspired take on Patience, Charles Court Opera are celebrating their 10th anniversary with the premiere of a Hammer Horror-inspired production of Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore at the King's Head Theatre, Islington, from tonight 17 February - Saturday 14 March.

Ruddigore is a spooky spoof on melodrama, with mad damsels, moustachioed villains and a gallery of deceased ancestors and it's to to be given a spark of electricity and plenty of punch in the way that only CCO can do.

Press night is Thursday 19 February at 7.00pm.
Expect "a sparklingly fresh package of pathos, foolery and high-class music making" (Opera Now), as well as the unexpected... A stalwart of London's Off West End, Charles Court Opera ("the masters of G&S in small spaces" - Camden New Journal) have been producing opera, music theatre and boutique pantomimes in London and on tour for a decade, garnering rave reviews ("a must-see" - The Daily Telegraph) and being named Broadwayworld's "funniest show of the year" for their panto, Buttons: Another Cinderella Story, at the Rosemary Branch Theatre.

CCO are one of the leading lights in the recent reinvigoration of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan, and this new production will be directed by the company's artistic director John Savournin (one of the "finest G&S actor/directors of the present day" - Daily Express) and musically directed by David Eaton from the piano.

Featuring a first-rate cast of nine CCO favourites, this special anniversary production is not to be missed!

For more information, visit www.charlescourtopera.com.

CHARLES COURT OPERA - Artistic Director John Savournin formed Charles Court Opera in 2005 at Trinity College of Music in Greenwich, where he was a student, forging a name from the college's address; The King Charles Court at the Old Royal Naval College. After a successful performance of the one-act farce by Sullivan, Cox and Box, in Trinity's studio, John met the company's future Musical Director, David Eaton, and the company moved into the outside world, with a production of The Mikado at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, Islington, in which John was forced into a kimono when the leading contralto fell ill. John remembers "it was an odd conversation; I called David on the day of the dress rehearsal and said "we can't find anyone to sing it - can we find a way of putting one of the cast on in the role?" His answer was "the only person that can is you". So, it was straight down the theatre to see if I could fit into the costume... and I did." The decision garnered an unprecedented response - the casting being described as "a triumph" by Metro, and the company went from strength to strength, moving to the King's Head Theatre in Islington for month-long runs, taking productions on tour across the UK and abroad, and developing their unique brand of Boutique Pantomime - taking unusual and now original stories including Beowulf and Billy the Kid - which they have been presenting at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, for 8 of the 10 years.

CCO's repertoire includes much more than G&S and panto - Britten's The Turn of the Screw, Puccini's La Boheme and Tosca, Mozart's Cosi fan tutte and an evening of the Avant Garde including music by Ligeti, Maxwell Davies and Schoenberg, to name a few, many linked with education initiatives. The company has developed a unique, punchy, spunky approach to opera and theatre, earning their place as a stalwart of the London theatre scene. CCO are now one of the leading lights in the recent explosion of small companies taking opera and musical theatre into previously inaccessible places, and leading the current reinvigoration of the works of Gilbert and Sullivan. They have performed across the UK in venues ranging from London's pub theatres to the national concert hall in Dublin and have toured both indoor and open air productions to France, Ireland, Spain and the USA. John Savournin is something of an actor manager too, a "force of nature" (Daily Telegraph) always playing the Dame in their pantomimes.

DETAILS:

Ruddigore

King's Head Theatre, 115 Upper Street, London N1

www.kingsheadtheatre.com

Box office: 0207 478 0160

Wednesday 18 February - Saturday 14 March

Monday - Saturday at 7.00pm

Matinees Saturday 7 & 14 March at 3.00pm

Press Night: Thursday 19 February at 7.00pm

Tickets: £16.50 - £22.50

18 - 20 February all seats £10.00

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