The Mikado

I write only to add to the above review. I agree with all the observations about performances and voices.

However, I disagree utterly with the disparaging of the production's costume and sets. In calling it weird, I believe the reviewer missed the point. W.S. Gilbert's libretto is first and foremost a satire of Victorian society, but one set in an exotic fantasy. This production makes it clear that The Mikado has almost nothing to do with Japan. Indeed, the name of the mythical town, Titipu, is impossible in Japanese.

The production choice has a double virtue -- it clears away the shopworn "oriental" grounding, with all the racist connotations that are buried in it. Of course, it appropriates some Japanese motifs -- fans, kimonos, samurai garb, and so on -- but it makes them part of fantasy world that contains many other artifacts (a basketball hoop for one). The fantasy itself is lush, startling, and surreal. As such it adds another aesthetic pleasure to the whole experience.

Careful listeners will note that the libretto was updated in some places, such as the list song, to again make satire the centerpiece of the operetta. (A reference to John Major, then the UK's prime minister, infiltrates, for example.)

In the end, however, the comic joy and gorgeous music combine to make a deeply satisfying experience, whether one gets the jokes or recognizes the subtext or not. It's a wonderful piece of work.