The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and Scottish Opera have teamed up again, following their successful collaboration on The Pirates of Penzance back in 2013, to deliver a highly entertaining and sumptuously designed Mikado.
From the safety curtain gleaming in black and gold like one side of a lacquered box to the use of calligraphy and architecture in his sets, award-winning designer Dick Bird has lavished this production with a delicious pastiche of all things Japanese. Hokusai’s Great Wave off Kanagawa as a backdrop to Katisha’s dramatic entrance is another magic touch. Male costumes combined a Bullingdon Club elitism with a Shogun military aesthetic, while the women glided across stage in richly coloured dresses and kimonos, a delight on the eye. Director Martin Lloyd-Evans must be congratulated for making the progress of upwards of forty people on stage look so effortless.
Bird’s vision combined with Gilbert’s Victorian satire nicely. Gilbert has written the character of Pooh Bar as the quintessentially dodgy politician, all powerful yet utterly corrupt. Bird’s opening depiction of the male chorus as rows of severed heads on platters is the perfect illustration of unfortunates on the receiving end of such unfettered authority. But fear not, there is humour in the gore, these heads are singing! “We are gentlemen of Japan… it is simply Court etiquette!”
The Mikado, can, on the face of it, appear as extraordinarily eccentric. There is a surface quaintness that belies the more sinister themes of power, frustrated love and judicial cruelty that run throughout the narrative. Tonight’s production straddled those two extremes perfectly. The songs, of course, help to sweep you along – Three Little Maids From School Are We and Here’s A How-De-Do being the more obviously remembered upbeat melodies. But Katisha’s plaintiff Alone, and Yet Alive is evidence of a more poignant side to Sullivan’s scoring.
There were standout performances. Richard Suart as Ko-Ko, the unlikeliest of Lord High Executioners, held the show together with his Reg Varney-like rendering of the role. In particular his hilarious delivery of Willow Tit-Willow was a show stealer. During I’ve Got A Little List he was able to poke fun at latter-day rogues, including Philip Green and Donald Trump. First performed at the Savoy Theatre, London in 1885, the Mikado still allows for contemporary commentary.
Stephen Richardson as the Mikado filled the hall with his bass tones during A More Humane Mikado, while Rebecca de Pont Davies’s contralto and general stage presence gave Katisha an edge that won her a big cheer at the end of the night. Rebecca Bottone brought enormous charm to the role of Yum-Yum, and her crystal clear soprano voice almost seemed to emanate somewhere out and above her, while Nicholas Sharratt’s faultless tenor as Nanki-Poo was always a delight.
The Orchestra of Scottish Opera was on top form throughout the performance. Conductor David Steadman kept the company and players in perfect sync and sound balance throughout the evening. There were some delightfully expressive moments, such as oboist Amy Turner’s solo in the overture.
The Mikado remains a preposterous but lovable hit. D’Oyly Carte and Scottish Opera have poured much love into this production and it is well worth catching the fruits of their labours. ★★★★☆ Simon Bishop 23rd June 2016
Photos by James Glossop
