THE MIKADO

Due to my mistake about the opening date of The Mikado, the National President of NODA, Derek Grattidge and his wife attended the Dress rehearsal with me. This was not an ordinary dress-rehearsal as the company had taken the show to the Buxton Festival a fortnight before and been greeted with acclaim.

Named roles were all well cast. Pooh Bah (Gareth Brown) was suitably obsequious. For a change, it was Pish Tush (Matt Good) who was played in very camp manner rather than Ko Ko, played by Conal Corr as a very clever nerd. His costume and demeanour were entirely convincing throughout. Dressed in 1920s style white suit as The Mikado, Rory McCollum was also convincing. Jessica Webb and Jordan Mackin made an engaging pair as Pitti Sing and Peep Bo. Orla McCormack was a fearsome Katisha who projected a huge voice for one so slight in stature. Connor Carson and Hannah Conlon were the young lovers Nanki Poo and Yum Yum. With lovely vocals and good comedy timing they made an excellent leading partnership. The large chorus sang with gusto and precision. Costumes were a bit of a mish-mash of traditional and modern.

 Some new in house arrangements left me wondering; but otherwise, MD Ian kept tight control of musicians and vocalists. A fairly standard permanent ‘Japanese’ set allowed the large cast to enter and exit speedily and Director and Choreographer kept the action going at a good pace. This was a polished performance without a weak link on stage.

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