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The Mikado (1996)Opening Date: Feb 29, 1996
Closing Date: March 6, 1996 (dates reflect Auckland Aotea Centre run) Air date: unknown Medium: TV Where to watch: DVD, online |
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. Like its original ancestor, Hot Mikado has been performed around the world.
Hot Mikado and Essgee’s The Mikado are the only commercially copyrighted Gilbert and Sullivan shows on the market.
Essgee Entertainment was, and still is, a prominent recording and concert producer that came onto the Australian scene during the 1980s. The company staged a highly acclaimed production of Pirates of Penzance in 1994, which led to The Mikado in 1995, and H.M.S. Pinafore in 1997. All three productions were performed around Australia and New Zealand, filmed, and made available on television, VHS, and later DVD, in those markets. Theatre historian Ian C. Bradley describes Essgee’s productions as “durable and very popular.”
As Joseph Papp had done with Pirates of Penzance in the 1980s, Essgee modernized the score and lyrics of The Mikado to make the show more relevant and fun for modern day audiences. The score had a pop feel, while the lyrics included topical and local references.
Essgee’s The Mikado opened at the Adelaide Festival Centre on June 20, 1996, and shortly after transferred to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide. The production subsequently toured Australia and New Zealand .
Essgee’s production was revived in 2008 at Brisbane’s QPAC Lyric Theatre, and again in 2009 at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide.
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.”
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. Like its original ancestor, Hot Mikado has been performed around the world.
Hot Mikado and Essgee’s The Mikado are the only commercially copyrighted Gilbert and Sullivan shows on the market.
Essgee Entertainment was, and still is, a prominent recording and concert producer that came onto the Australian scene during the 1980s. The company staged a highly acclaimed production of Pirates of Penzance in 1994, which led to The Mikado in 1995, and H.M.S. Pinafore in 1997. All three productions were performed around Australia and New Zealand, filmed, and made available on television, VHS, and later DVD, in those markets. Theatre historian Ian C. Bradley describes Essgee’s productions as “durable and very popular.”
As Joseph Papp had done with Pirates of Penzance in the 1980s, Essgee modernized the score and lyrics of The Mikado to make the show more relevant and fun for modern day audiences. The score had a pop feel, while the lyrics included topical and local references.
Essgee’s The Mikado opened at the Adelaide Festival Centre on June 20, 1996, and shortly after transferred to Her Majesty’s Theatre in Adelaide. The production subsequently toured Australia and New Zealand .
Essgee’s production was revived in 2008 at Brisbane’s QPAC Lyric Theatre, and again in 2009 at the Festival Theatre in Adelaide.
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.”
Filmed Production Notes
Due to “unviable” demands from Australian Actors’ Equity, Essgee’s production of The Mikado was filmed during its New Zealand season at the Auckland Aotea Centre.
The Mikado aired on pay television in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The VHS and DVD were released shortly after, and sales reportedly hit double-Platinum status.
Online reviews for The Mikado are favorable. Writing for the Gilbert & Sullivan Discography, Marc Shepherd states that “the video version is simply too overwrought with improvised gags. As it stands, I rank this lowest of the three Essgee productions.”
An IMDb reviewer, who gave the film a one star review, derisively claimed “if you are the person who drives past my house with your car windows wide open and your stereo going Thump, Thump, Thump… this is the show for you.”
Essgee Entertainment’s The Mikado is available via Digital Download and on DVD.
Due to “unviable” demands from Australian Actors’ Equity, Essgee’s production of The Mikado was filmed during its New Zealand season at the Auckland Aotea Centre.
The Mikado aired on pay television in Australia and the United Kingdom.
The VHS and DVD were released shortly after, and sales reportedly hit double-Platinum status.
Online reviews for The Mikado are favorable. Writing for the Gilbert & Sullivan Discography, Marc Shepherd states that “the video version is simply too overwrought with improvised gags. As it stands, I rank this lowest of the three Essgee productions.”
An IMDb reviewer, who gave the film a one star review, derisively claimed “if you are the person who drives past my house with your car windows wide open and your stereo going Thump, Thump, Thump… this is the show for you.”
Essgee Entertainment’s The Mikado is available via Digital Download and on DVD.
The Mikado PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Auckland Aotea Centre
Producer: Simon Gallaher, Essgee Entertainment
Music and Lyrics: W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
Additional Lyrics: Melvyn Morrow, Drew Forsythe, David Gould
Director: Craig Shaefer, film: Peter Butler
Orchestrations and Conductor: Kevin Hocking
Choreographer: Craig Shaefer
Scenic Design: Graham Maclean
Lighting Design: Gavan Swift
Sound Design: David Gurney
Stage Manager: Amanda Ferguson
Cast:
Jon English, Derek Metzger, Drew Forsythe, Bev Shean, The Fabulous Singlettes, David Gould, Terri Crouch
Ensemble: Jason Barry-Smith, Michael Bayly, Christophe Broadway, Robert Dale, Les Dwight,Tristan Glendinning, Gary Jones, Paul Lewis, Glenn Mayo, Aidan McBride-Stewart, John Pemberton, Marcus Pointon, Lachlan Youngberg,
Theatre: Auckland Aotea Centre
Producer: Simon Gallaher, Essgee Entertainment
Music and Lyrics: W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
Additional Lyrics: Melvyn Morrow, Drew Forsythe, David Gould
Director: Craig Shaefer, film: Peter Butler
Orchestrations and Conductor: Kevin Hocking
Choreographer: Craig Shaefer
Scenic Design: Graham Maclean
Lighting Design: Gavan Swift
Sound Design: David Gurney
Stage Manager: Amanda Ferguson
Cast:
Jon English, Derek Metzger, Drew Forsythe, Bev Shean, The Fabulous Singlettes, David Gould, Terri Crouch
Ensemble: Jason Barry-Smith, Michael Bayly, Christophe Broadway, Robert Dale, Les Dwight,Tristan Glendinning, Gary Jones, Paul Lewis, Glenn Mayo, Aidan McBride-Stewart, John Pemberton, Marcus Pointon, Lachlan Youngberg,
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)
- 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)
- Marc Shepherd, “The Essgee Mikado (1995)” Gilbert & Sullivan Discography (Sept 14, 2008)
- Marc Shepherd, “Papp’s Pirates (1980)” Gilbert & Sullivan Discography (July 7, 2010)
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 (September, 2017)