My parents played G&S daily.

My school did a beautiful production of the Mikado.

My late Dad was in The Mikado when he was in high school, back in the learly 1940's. He talked about it all the time! I was brought up on G&S, but didn't have the voice for music, but Dad encouraged my theatre career, regardless! I ended up working for the largest musical theatre house on the West coast, and a donor to the local G&S Society's Youth program. We gotta keep it alive!

Yes, brilliant. I've tried very hard to find a copy. It seems to be available at Altiva, but perhaps it's defunct.

I saw it when it first ran in 1987 at ENO with Lesley Garrett and Botone Bonaventura. Fabulous.

❤❤❤

​​@@65NARTme too!!!!!😂😂❤❤ In fact I also remember Jonathan Miller being interviewed about it and will never forget his response to what he thought of the opera and he said "well of course it's not remotely Japanese is it, it's just English people tit-arsing about!" Which it is😂😊

We adore it. 💖💖💖💖💖

Thinking the exact same thing!!

I would've loved to know what the totally arbitrary KZfaq police censors found so objectionable about it that they felt like they needed to censor it. Somebody must have gotten all butt hurt about non Asians playing Asian characters.

@@philiphoel4290Show some Respect to Cultures please.

🎼🎼🎼🎼🎵🎵🎵🎵🎵

Stunningly Beautiful.

Like a Precious Jewel.

REALLLL

Don't reject it please, We love it.

Is this one available on DVD?

​@@drr5117I saw it on Altiva's website, but they seem to be out of business as I got no response. LMK if you have better luck.

I saw that original one too - it was hilarious

Truly inspiring.

Me too!

❤️❤️❤️💋💋💋

Covid-19 is Gone Forever. So we can watch it.

@@bettyottman1718 Nope, COVID is on the rise again. Apparently you haven't heard yet. I know, so much going on in the world lately makes it kind of impossible to keep up with everything anymore.

I think you'll find this is based on the Jonathan Miller version - there is on KZfaq, a programme of his actually directing it from audition to opening night. - fascinating.

In addition, Miller always maintained that The Mikado was essentially an English story wrapped in Japanese clothing. He decided just to mount the production as a purely English narrative.

He was right. A brilliant production. @@GrahamBrown-tc4jn

"Based on"? It IS the Jonathan Miller production.

Yes, this is the 14th revival I believe.

Original production of the Mikado? That would be the Savoy Theatre production in London in the 1880s by the company of theatrical impressario Sir Richard D'Oylie Carte, surely? The version with Eric Idle was a little later...

@@davidlauder-qi5zv I meant the original JONATHAN MILLER production.

😂😂😂 ….. 👍

Excellent comment.

That's a bit presumptious old boy. SO puffed up !

@@johnslimko6938 You are at least comical. And, I should have said MOST of the junk...

The Met does not produce junk!

@@samueljaramillo4221 It's fine for you to believe that. Enjoy what you like. You don't know much at all about singing and production. But, that has nothing to do with the joy you get from the productions.

@@josephcollins6033and you do about singing and production? Puffed up much………?

Wow. Please don't reject it.

It's actually supposed to be the 30's, in the spirit of the Jack Buchanan movie musicals of the times, like "This'll Make You Whistle."

@@tomshea8382 thank you for correcting me. I always thought of the 30’s as the Great Depression Decade and lead up to WW2 for the US

@@johnyelcick4572 You are correct about all that. Less so for the British.

这就是自以为是的“创新”，十分愚蠢

How Precious.

In the Original one in 1987, he had bright Orange Auburn Toupee.

Yeah, The Monty python Star, which film of the Mikado you prefer The 1987 one or the 2015 one?

@@bettyottman1718 1987 minus the the eye squinting at the beginning.

@@Gravelgratious Indeed...that almost ruined the whole film for me...and if they're going to do karate moves in that number, they could at least be proper karate moves.

You preferred the original? You were so fortunate to see the D’Oyly Carte production on March 14,1884. I am very envious.

When this was shown in cinemas it was described as performed on a stage in front of a live audience - in a London theatre, the Coliseum.

Breathtaking.

Precious Jewel.

@@bettyottman1718 is that the name of a website where I can find the soundtrack with this cast?

The Part of Evil Katisha's Entrance gives us the Shivers down our Spine at the end of Act one.

It makes no sense *with* the Japanese costumes either. The music is 19th century European and the libretto is a satire of English customs and politics. With or without the Japanese garb, one must suspend their disbelief. This production is wonderful.

White people can’t perform in Asian costumes without being chased by the torch and pitchfork crowd. They’re already pushing it keeping it set in Japan. There are productions that call it the MacAdo now and set it in Scotland.

Doing without the Japanese garb was a compromise. It looks like no one can really do the play at all anymore given the political climate. I’ve heard some companies have set it in Scotland and called it the MacAdo.

Truly inspiring.

Talented Conductor isn't he? 🎼🎼🎵

@@bettyottman1718 and a fine colleague

In order to be able to still produce the show in the current climate regarding DEI, critical race theory, and shrieking about "cultural appropriation. This is now the standard approach of all G&S companies.

@@erinharkiewicz7239 Not true at all. There was a Japanese-costumed production of it here in the UK about ten years ago. Further, this is a revival of a version that was first produced in the 1980s (with Eric Idle as Ko Ko). Yes, the conversation (not "shrieking", btw) about cultural appropriation has entered into the main(ish)stream since then (and often misunderstood), this production had absolutely nothing to do with that. People have been re-imaging popular theatre for many years. Shakespeare often gets a funky update.

Trump jokes are always easy. I saw a KoKo diss track that dumped on Trump, Bernie and Hillary equally and thought that was fair.

I think the idea is to evoke a very posh English accent

@@MrAlexsegal Thank you!

The British style version is Spectacular.

I think it's Stunningly Beautiful.

@virginiafry9854: Oh Virginia, I think your brain is fried because your comment is an uneducated and stupid one. Bizet’s CARMEN and Offenbach’s THE TALES OF HOFFMAN, in the original Opera-Comique version, both utilized spoken dialogue and are MOST CERTAINLY OPERAS, NOT OPERETTA as your comment states. Please listen to CARMEN recordings by Cluytens (1946 EMI mono), Burgos/Bumbry (EMI), Solti/Troyanos (Decca) and THE TALES OF HOFFMAN by Bonynge/Sutherland (Decca). They are excellent and the booklet explains the reason for creating the works with dialogue. Now please find a topic you really know about before posting post.

You mean like FIDELIO?

No one ever said it was an opera.

I'm pretty sure that Gilbert and Sullivan did. Weren't their pieces routinely called "light operas" when new?

Quite correct. And they have always been referred to as "The Savoy Operas". Perhaps the word "opera" was used playfully, but early operas included spoken dialogue.

That Democrat pretender who is really just a traitor, sitting in his office stolen like a fascistic dictator...

Don’t like it then bloody jog on.

@@65NART you log on

@@65NART you jog n

@@65NART This is a place for making comments. Someone expressed an opinion that you don't like. Your response is to tell them to shut up. Not very adult of you.

@@renzo6490whatever.

The simple facts are (1) the Mikado was always about the Britsh, but with charming costumes and sets from Japan and (2) it would be absolutely impossible, in the 21st century for any one - from a national opera company down to the lowest amateur company - to stage a production of Mikado actually set in Japan. They would be "cancelled" in the blink of an eye. This is absolutely the standard approach for those brave enough to even touch Mikado (many no longer even approach it)

@@erinharkiewicz7239 Oh dear. You really need to calm down about this. What you say is false. (See my replyon one of your other such rants.)

@@fredasterical As someone who has been involved with two G&S groups over the last 10 years that endured incredible hostility from local press and social media when we did Mikado, I submit you don't know what you are talking about.

@@erinharkiewicz7239 Sorry for your bad experience. My point was not that it doesn't happen, just that it doesn't always happen, as your sweeping complaint implied. And forgive me, I must admit it was the sweeping nature of your comment and what felt like the kind of culture-war rant one hears these days from people who feel threatened by what is actually some long-overdue cultural reflection. Personally, I don't mind the traditional productions (and, as I said, you can still find plenty of them), but I do see the issues at play and respect them. I know it can hurt when you feel your good work is unfairly criticised. I can relate. Just try not to echo the noxious claims about so-called "cancel culture". They come with a heap of some pretty unpleasant baggage.

@@fredasterical I don't know - when (1) a county commissioner attempts to force a vote at a meeting as to whether your group's contract to use a county performing arts venue should be terminated 4 weeks prior to the show and your group should be forever barred from using the facility, and she admits she is doing so because she has been "educated" by Facebook posts from professors and student groups from nearby colleges, we were feeling pretty "cancelled" (thank God the County attorney pointed out that under the First Amendment, they couldn't do that, and (2) when, in addition to that event, the G&S club at my private university alma mater - with which I've been involved was told by the student government counsel that their production of Mikado could go on as scheduled, but that unless they changed their bylaws to say they would never again in the future perform the show, they would lose all funding from the student activities fund, those kids were feeling pretty "cancelled" too. There, the First Amendment couldn't help the kids directly, and they decided to go along and reduce the pool of their future shows from 12 to 11 rather than turn the majority of the campus (and thus their audience) against them So, I've already experienced plenty of noxious baggage and feel there is nothing "so-called" about cancel culture. Although thank you (sincerely) for your sympathy.

There are too many idiots who can't even spot the Swiftian humor, and the show is meaningless without the Japanese touch

"Is this for race and PC purposes or something??? " Yes, exactly. "Can we please keep it set in Japan. " No. Any company - from a national opera to your local high school would be crucified by the Woke cult if they tried to do so.

The original? You mean the 1885 version at the Savoy Theatre in London?

The 1987 stage movie was ok, but the 2015 was really vibrant I must say.

@@blokeabouttown2490well: D’Oyly Carte company did attempt to preserve the character of the 1885 production right through the first half of the twentieth century- I saw many of them myself at the Streatham Hill Theatre. After that they seem to have become exhausted and the copyright expired so it was free for all sometimes for good sometimes not so much

I agree entirely. I enjoyed it thoroughly, it is quite a beauty in its own. But an all too much well behaved version!

⁠@@blokeabouttown2490: I would rather watch a production utilizing Gilbert’s original lyrics and stage directions than a weak attempt to enlighten it by changing the time, setting and references. I don’t think they’ll be missed, no they won’t be missed.