London Coliseum
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The story line is somewhat difficult to capture because of all its absurdities, but it seems to make perfect sense whilst watching it play out before your eyes. The opera is set in Titipu - a seaside town in Japan, although Jonathan Miller's production places it instead in a 1930s English hotel. Nanki-Poo (a musician) has returned to the town of Titipu in order to profess his love for and hopefully marry a young girl by the name of Yum-Yum, after he heard that the man she was betrothed to, Ko-Ko the tailor, was sentenced to death. However, in a twist of fates, Ko-Ko has just been promoted to the role of Lord High Executioner, meaning that he is no longer condemned to death - that is unless he fails to execute someone within the next month. Ko-Ko makes a deal with Nanki-Poo; Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo can be married for one month, after which Ko-Ko will execute Nanki-Poo. There are a string of complications that occur after this deal has been made, but eventually everything is resolved and Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum are left in matrimonial bliss.
The design of Jonathan Miller's production is the first thing that you notice. The huge walls and sloped floors of a grand seaside hotel (complete with a working fountain) take over the stage. The whole stage is white and the costumes worn by the chorus are all black and white. However despite the monochrome nature of the design, it was oozing in life and excitement and the whole production seemed to be lit up in colour.
Gilbert and Sullivan's unique music deserves all of the praise that it is accustomed to receive. The music is both beautiful and very catchy. From the grand opening, to the frivolous trio that is 'Three Little Maids From School', to the sweeping melody of Yum-Yum's solo, all of the music is an absolute joy to listen to.
Comedy is central to The Mikado, and it permeates through the whole of Miller's production. Perhaps the funniest moment of the evening is when Ko-Ko reads out a list of people that he would be happy to execute should the time come. Richard Stuart (who plays Ko-Ko) rewrites the list for each performance, bringing in the most relevant figures in the news of today. He covered everyone from Extinction Rebellion to BoJo on the night I went.
Comedy is central to The Mikado, and it permeates through the whole of Miller's production. Perhaps the funniest moment of the evening is when Ko-Ko reads out a list of people that he would be happy to execute should the time come. Richard Stuart (who plays Ko-Ko) rewrites the list for each performance, bringing in the most relevant figures in the news of today. He covered everyone from Extinction Rebellion to BoJo on the night I went.
Overall, The Mikado is a fabulous operetta and this is a fabulous production of it, with a design almost as wacky and wonderful as the plot itself. I would recommend it to all the family for a fun night filled with laughs, excellent music and riveting performances from all of the supremely talented cast.