The Farndale Avenue Housing Estate Townwomen's Guild OperaticSociety's Production of The Mikado.

What a hilarious show, absolutely first-class in every department, with many outstanding performances.  The show opens with Mrs Reece organising things, supported by the Vicar.  Helen Cain played  Nanki- Poo very well indeed until she had to leave the stage to move her car.  Then the vicar came on to fill in and rehearse a hymn for Sunday, one of the many distractions during the show.  The show had many new additions since the last time I saw it, but I remembered many things from the last time they presented this show eighteen years ago.  One of them was the arrival of Ko-Ko who,when making her triumphal entrance, had to get out of her sedan chair to get it through the archway, and get back in once she was through.  Pru Nunn was outstanding as Ko-Ko and her laid back casual performance was excellent throughout the show.  Pitti-sing (alias the Rev Reg Bishop) was excellently played by Dan Connolly, who really enjoyed the part. Jodie Martin was excellent as Mrs Reece, and then played Pooh-Bah really confidently.  John Holiday was really outstanding as The Mikado, which he played in a Welsh accent, which was different. He really commanded the stage. When he returned to Titipu he fell in love with Yum Yum, very well played by Rhoda Fraser, but he was in love with Ko-Ko.  Then the fun started -,who was going to be beheaded? Katisha, again very well played by Karen Brunyee tries to reveal Nanki's identity but he marries Yum-Yum and they hide. Yum-Yum's aide, Pish-Tush, was well played by Deborah Wilson, and Peep-Bo was played by Gail Barlow very well.  David, the producer, kept dashing on and was well played by Doug Clayton. You don't usually see Can-Can dancing,a moving tree,(the tree scenes were very funny indeed} an origami competition, and a blackout scene with fluorescent lighting in any traditional Mikado, but this was Farndale Avenue's version. The singing in this show was really excellent. The Chorus were really outstanding, very powerful.  I would think they all enjoyed the rehearsals and Lou Holiday couldn't help but be delighted with everybody on the stage for the effort they put into their performances. Very well done, Richmond.

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