The Mikado

Written in response to an English craze for all things Japanese, the setting and characters of ”The Mikado” allowed Gilbert to sharpen his attacks on the British establishment by putting their characteristics into a different context.  When the performing rights became available around 60 years ago, when words like “cultural” and “misappropriation” were rarely heard, let alone in the same sentence, amateur operatic societies hired in wonderful sets of colourful kimonos and knocked themselves out with the eye make-up.  Quite properly, you can’t do this anymore.  Instead, Banbury Operatic Society has taken us back to Jonathan Miller’s landmark re-interpretation in 1987, which recognised that “The Mikado” isn’t actually about Japan at all, essentially ignored the Japanese references, and treated the whole thing as a pantomime.  You might still feel uncomfortable that the plot revolves around public beheadings …

The 11-piece orchestra gave a very good account of itself; it never overwhelmed the singers, and the reductions in the orchestration were well concealed.  The Director brought a wealth of experience to the staging, with space used well, and interesting and consistent characterisations throughout the company.  The choreography blended grace, humour and accessibility in the movement and dances, while ensuring that the company had enough breath left over to do justice to the singing.  The art deco set was solidly constructed, and complemented by the black, white, gold and silver costumes; it may have been almost monochrome, but it was still a visual treat.  The lighting showed off the sets and costumes to advantage, and was used particularly well at transitions between songs and dialogue.

In all this was a classy production and a very enjoyable evening.  The works of Gilbert and Sullivan have become quite challenging to stage and difficult to sell, but they still have so much to offer, especially to an amateur company.  With groups as talented as Banbury Operatic Society prepared to embrace the challenge, I don’t think we’ve seen the last of The Mikado and the rest of the Savoy operas just yet.

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