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The Mikado (1982)Opening Date: June 7, 1982
Closing Date: Aug 1, 1982 Air date: 1982 Medium: TV Where to watch: DVD (as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases from this link) |
Stage Production Notes
Set in a fictitious town in Japan, The Mikado is a tongue-in-cheek satire about Victorian society. Nanki-Poo, son of the Mikado, has fled to avoid marrying Katisha. He wishes to marry Yum-Yum, who is the ward of Ko-Ko, the lord high executioner. Ko-Ko is struggling to execute anyone, and offers to trade Nanki-Poo’s life for a month of marriage to Yum-Yum.
The Mikado was first performed in 1865 at the Savoy Theatre in London and was one of the longest running shows of its day. Although it was Gilbert and Sullivan’s ninth collaboration, it was their first entirely original work (previous shows had been based on earlier works), and their first non-serious work.
A jazz version of the show opened in 1938 under the title The Swing Mikado. Michael Todd opened The Hot Mikado a year later at the Broadhurst Theatre. The show featured an entirely African American cast, and swing orchestrations. The production ran for 85 performances.
The music for The Hot Mikado was considered mostly lost, and in 1986 Rob Bowman and David H. Bell re-wrote a new swing version entitled Hot Mikado.
While The Mikado remains one of Gilbert & Sullivan's most performed and celebrated operettas, it has attracted controversy in recent years for its dated portrayal of Japanese people and culture. Professional and amateur productions have faced strong backlash, or been entirely cancelled, for casting mostly caucasian actors and using “yellowface.”
Under the direction of Brian Macdonald, between the late 1970s and early 1980s the Stratford Festival of Canada produced several highly acclaimed Gilbert and Sullivan operettas including The Mikado, and Iolanthe.
The Mikado opened at the Avon Theater during Ontario’s Stratford Festival on June 7, 1982. Theatre critic Glenne Currie described it as “attractive a production…as you could wish for…” Currie praised the cast, though described Gideon Saks’ portrayal of the title role as “terribly camp”.
In January 1987, the Stratford production played in New York at City Center. It was also performed in London.
Set in a fictitious town in Japan, The Mikado is a tongue-in-cheek satire about Victorian society. Nanki-Poo, son of the Mikado, has fled to avoid marrying Katisha. He wishes to marry Yum-Yum, who is the ward of Ko-Ko, the lord high executioner. Ko-Ko is struggling to execute anyone, and offers to trade Nanki-Poo’s life for a month of marriage to Yum-Yum.
The Mikado was first performed in 1865 at the Savoy Theatre in London and was one of the longest running shows of its day. Although it was Gilbert and Sullivan’s ninth collaboration, it was their first entirely original work (previous shows had been based on earlier works), and their first non-serious work.
A jazz version of the show opened in 1938 under the title The Swing Mikado. Michael Todd opened The Hot Mikado a year later at the Broadhurst Theatre. The show featured an entirely African American cast, and swing orchestrations. The production ran for 85 performances.
The music for The Hot Mikado was considered mostly lost, and in 1986 Rob Bowman and David H. Bell re-wrote a new swing version entitled Hot Mikado.
While The Mikado remains one of Gilbert & Sullivan's most performed and celebrated operettas, it has attracted controversy in recent years for its dated portrayal of Japanese people and culture. Professional and amateur productions have faced strong backlash, or been entirely cancelled, for casting mostly caucasian actors and using “yellowface.”
Under the direction of Brian Macdonald, between the late 1970s and early 1980s the Stratford Festival of Canada produced several highly acclaimed Gilbert and Sullivan operettas including The Mikado, and Iolanthe.
The Mikado opened at the Avon Theater during Ontario’s Stratford Festival on June 7, 1982. Theatre critic Glenne Currie described it as “attractive a production…as you could wish for…” Currie praised the cast, though described Gideon Saks’ portrayal of the title role as “terribly camp”.
In January 1987, the Stratford production played in New York at City Center. It was also performed in London.
Filmed Production Notes
The Stratford Festival of Canada’s production of The Mikado was filmed during its festival run. The recording was aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as a television special in 1982.
The Mikado was released on VHS in 1986 by Connaisseur and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Acorn Media re-released the VHS in 1998.
Critic Robert Levine stated of the VHS, “The general quality of the production, the sound and color, and the energy level are very high. But during the quieter moments we can hear Gilbert and Sullivan turning over in their graves.”
Acorn Media released The Mikado on DVD in 1999. Extras included two CBC News documentaries, program notes, historic photographs, original and revised lyrics, and a short — “Sketches of Our Town: Stratford, Ontario Video.”
The Mikado was included on a three-disc set featuring Stratford Festival productions of Iolanthe and Pirates of Penzance, also released in 1999.
Other filmed live versions of The Mikado include Opera Australia’s 1987 and 2011 productions, and Essgee Entertainment’s 1996 production.
The Stratford Festival’s The Mikado is available on DVD (as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases from this link).
The Stratford Festival of Canada’s production of The Mikado was filmed during its festival run. The recording was aired on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) as a television special in 1982.
The Mikado was released on VHS in 1986 by Connaisseur and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Acorn Media re-released the VHS in 1998.
Critic Robert Levine stated of the VHS, “The general quality of the production, the sound and color, and the energy level are very high. But during the quieter moments we can hear Gilbert and Sullivan turning over in their graves.”
Acorn Media released The Mikado on DVD in 1999. Extras included two CBC News documentaries, program notes, historic photographs, original and revised lyrics, and a short — “Sketches of Our Town: Stratford, Ontario Video.”
The Mikado was included on a three-disc set featuring Stratford Festival productions of Iolanthe and Pirates of Penzance, also released in 1999.
Other filmed live versions of The Mikado include Opera Australia’s 1987 and 2011 productions, and Essgee Entertainment’s 1996 production.
The Stratford Festival’s The Mikado is available on DVD (as an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases from this link).
The Mikado PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Avon Theater, Ontario
Producer: The Stratford Festival of Canada, Norman Campbell
Music: Arthur Sullivan
Libretto: W.S. Gilbert
Director: Brian Macdonald film: Norman Campbell
Musical Director: Berthold Carrière
Choreography: Brian Macdonald
Scenic Design: Susan Benson and Douglas McLean
Costume Design: Susan Benson
Lighting Design: Michael J. Whitfield Film: Ross Viner
Wig Design: Doreen Freeman and John David Kerr
Stage Manager: Laurie Freeman
Cast:
Marie Baron (Yum-Yum), Eric Donkin (Ko-Ko), Henry Ingram (Nanki-Poo), Christina James (Katisha), Richard McMillan (Pooh-Bah), Gidon Saks (Mikado), Karen Skidmore (Peep-Bo), Allen Stewart-Coates (Pish-Tush), Karen Wood (Pitti-Sing), John Keane, Avo Kittask, Richard March, Dale Mieske
Theatre: Avon Theater, Ontario
Producer: The Stratford Festival of Canada, Norman Campbell
Music: Arthur Sullivan
Libretto: W.S. Gilbert
Director: Brian Macdonald film: Norman Campbell
Musical Director: Berthold Carrière
Choreography: Brian Macdonald
Scenic Design: Susan Benson and Douglas McLean
Costume Design: Susan Benson
Lighting Design: Michael J. Whitfield Film: Ross Viner
Wig Design: Doreen Freeman and John David Kerr
Stage Manager: Laurie Freeman
Cast:
Marie Baron (Yum-Yum), Eric Donkin (Ko-Ko), Henry Ingram (Nanki-Poo), Christina James (Katisha), Richard McMillan (Pooh-Bah), Gidon Saks (Mikado), Karen Skidmore (Peep-Bo), Allen Stewart-Coates (Pish-Tush), Karen Wood (Pitti-Sing), John Keane, Avo Kittask, Richard March, Dale Mieske
Sources
Books
Articles
Websites
- Ian Bradley, Oh Joy! Oh Rapture!: The Enduring Phenomenon of Gilbert and Sullivan, Oxford University Press (2005)
- Ian Bradley, The Complete Annotated Gilbert & Sullivan: 20th Anniversary Edition, Oxford University Press (2016)
- Ed. Debra Craine, Judith Mackrell, The Oxford Dictionary of Dance: 2nd Edition, Oxford University Press (2010)
- Ed. Don Rubin, Carlos Solorzano World Encyclopedia of Contemporary Theatre: Volume 2: The Americas (Vol 2), Routledge (1996) p.117
- Carolyn Williams, Gilbert and Sullivan: Gender, Genre, Parody, Columbia University Press (2012)
- Gayden Wren, A Most Ingenious Paradox: The Art of Gilbert and Sullivan, Oxford University Press (2011)
Articles
- Peter Bleby, “The Mikado,” Australian Stage (Jan 11, 2009)
- Glenne Currie, “Stratford at 30 is still a Canadian enterprise,” (June 26, 1982)
- Ronald I. Orenstein, “1995 Stratford Festival,” The Gasbag (March/April 1995, Issue 195), p.6
- Marc Shepherd
- “The Stratford Festival Mikado (1982)” Gilbert & Sullivan Discography (Oct 24, 2001)
- “The Essgee Mikado (1995)” Gilbert & Sullivan Discography (Sept 14, 2008)
- “Papp’s Pirates (1980)” Gilbert & Sullivan Discography (July 7, 2010)
- “The Stratford Festival Mikado (1982)” Gilbert & Sullivan Discography (Oct 24, 2001)
- Music & Dance, New York Magazine (Jan 19, 1987), p.99
Websites
- AusStage, “The Mikado,” Accessed via https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/27886 and https://ausstage.edu.au/pages/event/28176
- The Guide to Musical Theatre, “Hot Mikado,” Accessed via: http://www.guidetomusicaltheatre.com/shows_h/hot_mikado.htm
- IMDb, “The Mikado (1996),” Accessed via: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0187285/?ref_=nm_knf_t4
- Stage Agent, “The Mikado,” Accessed via: http://stageagent.com/shows/operetta/200/the-mikado
- Stage Scripts, “The Mikado,” Accessed via: http://shop.stagescripts.com/categories/musicals/musicals-fully-developed/comedy/the-mikado.html
Written by Luisa Lyons (November, 2017)