Another of the special events on the PSOG 09/10
season calendar was a performance of "The Mikado"
at the McCallum Theater in Palm Desert, California.
Performers at the 09 Opera In The Park
The Mikado or The Town of Titipu is a comic
opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and
libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen
operatic collaborations. It opened on March 14, 1885,
in London, where it ran at the Savoy Theater for 672
performances, which was the second longest run for any
work of musical theatre and one of the longest runs of
any theater piece up to that time. Before the end of
1885, it was estimated that, in Europe and America
at least 150 companies were producing the opera.
The Mikado remains the most frequently performed
Savoy Opera, and it is especially popular with
amateur and school productions. The work has been
translated into numerous languages and is one of
the most frequently played musical theater pieces
in history.
Setting the opera in Japan, an exotic locale far
away from Britain, allowed Gilbert to satirize
British politics and institutions more freely
by disguising them as Japanese. Gilbert used
foreign or fictional locales in several operas,
including The Mikado, Princess Ida, The Gondoliers,
Utopia, Limited and The Grand Duke, to soften the
impact of his pointed satire of British institutions.
Theater Poster for The Mikado
Enjoy audio and video performances from the
Gilbert and Sullivan classic "The Mikado" below.
The Gilbert and Sullivan classic "The Mikado"
Peter Robinson; English National Opera Orchestra and Chorus
1. Our great Mikado, Virtuous man (Pish-Tush, Men's Chorus)
The Mikado: Richard Angas
Nanki-Poo: Bonaventura Bottone
Ko-Ko: Eric Idle
Pooh-Bah: Richard Van Allan
Pish-Tush: Mark Richardson
Yum-Yum: Lesley Garrett
Pitti-Sing: Jean Rigby
Peep-Bo: Susan Bullock
Katisha: Felicity Palmer
