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| LEGO Japan scene |
In these turbulent, uncertain, infuriating times, when one's patriotism has been drained to the very dregs, there's nothing like a bit of quintessentially English Gilbert and Sullivan to restore one's battered spirits.
G&S productions are usually done on a grand scale, so it was interesting to see one with only eleven cast members, accompanied by a single pianist rather than a full orchestra. The set was minimal, consisting of a stool and some plants. I would like to say there was a gong, but I think that was a product of my imagination. In the second half a charming Japanese-style love seat entwined with flowers materialised. The costumes were typical Mikado fare - British conceptions of traditional Japanese outfits, with black wigs aplenty. Ko-Ko's headpiece as Lord High Executioner was impressive; it had an axe sticking up out of the top, from which swung a severed doll's head.
The small-scale nature of the production didn't make it any less enjoyable. Being so close to the actors is always a boon. For the most part, the actors were considerably older than the characters they played - Sally-Ann Shepherdson as the schoolgirl Yum-Yum was fifty if she was a day - but it only added to the humour. It was very funny; recent events in British politics made good fodder for Ko-Ko's Little List. The singing was excellent, as befitted former members of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. I particularly enjoyed Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo (Declan Kelly)'s parts, and the titular Mikado (Bruce Graham) had an incredibly powerful voice. I appreciated the madrigal Brightly dawns our wedding day more than I usually do; it's not one of my favourites. I wonder about the extent to which the production was abridged - unless I'm much mistaken they missed out See how the Fates their gifts allot.
G&S productions are usually done on a grand scale, so it was interesting to see one with only eleven cast members, accompanied by a single pianist rather than a full orchestra. The set was minimal, consisting of a stool and some plants. I would like to say there was a gong, but I think that was a product of my imagination. In the second half a charming Japanese-style love seat entwined with flowers materialised. The costumes were typical Mikado fare - British conceptions of traditional Japanese outfits, with black wigs aplenty. Ko-Ko's headpiece as Lord High Executioner was impressive; it had an axe sticking up out of the top, from which swung a severed doll's head.
The small-scale nature of the production didn't make it any less enjoyable. Being so close to the actors is always a boon. For the most part, the actors were considerably older than the characters they played - Sally-Ann Shepherdson as the schoolgirl Yum-Yum was fifty if she was a day - but it only added to the humour. It was very funny; recent events in British politics made good fodder for Ko-Ko's Little List. The singing was excellent, as befitted former members of the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. I particularly enjoyed Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo (Declan Kelly)'s parts, and the titular Mikado (Bruce Graham) had an incredibly powerful voice. I appreciated the madrigal Brightly dawns our wedding day more than I usually do; it's not one of my favourites. I wonder about the extent to which the production was abridged - unless I'm much mistaken they missed out See how the Fates their gifts allot.
It was just as well the singing was so good, because some of the actors' grasp of their lines wasn't. Pooh-Bah (Graham Stone) forgot his lines twice and Ko-Ko (Trevor Alexander) once. In all my years of theatre-going, until this night I had never actually heard an actor say 'line?'. I've seen a Maori actor tumble, bare-bottom first, into the audience; I've seen a production grind to a halt (literally) because of technical difficulties; I've heard plenty of actors come in at the wrong time and try to cover it up, but never, until this night, had I heard an actor stop and ask to be prompted for a line. And it happened three times in this production! Not to make a big deal out of it or anything...
Next: The Taming of the Shrew
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