The richness and elegance of the costumes forms a balletic counterpoint to the ironic humor and fun, and the slapstick comedy. Instead of trying to de-Japan it, they put respect into the magnificent designs and so the story celebrates a captivating fairytale culture as it satirises British penal and social mores.
The costumes add so much to the satirical nature of it, it only looks Japanese as a way of poking fun, when in fact a lot of the the satire is of British
By far the best Mikado to be found on RU-vid. There simply is no other Pooh Bah that can touch the incredible Richard McMillan. He was incomparable. While the whole production is wonderful, there is one more performance that elevates this one: the Mikado, Gidon Saks could not be bettered. An experience not to be missed.
Can you believe that the Mikado(Gidon Saks)who is so good,was only 22 when sang this?! It was at the urging of his singing teacher that he auditioned for the part.
It's ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. HMS PINAFORE AND THE MIKADO ARE MY 2 FAVOURITE G&S "OPERETTA'S," could you call them that? My Mother used to call them that. THEY'RE JUST BRILLIANT AND AMAZING. EVERYTHING ABOUT THEM IS. I could live for them. The words, the tunes, everything about them.
I watch this at a school outing,aged 15.loved every song.too see it again 50yrs later with a minimum of scenery shows the brilliance of GILBERT AND SULLIVAN.thanks for showing it.
This is the only Mikado I've ever seen in which I think Ko-Ko and Katisha actually could be a very happy couple in the end. This whole production is just so delightfully Canadian and wholesome.
I find it amusing that they chose a very sort of down-home accent for most of the "common" characters. I'm particularly impressed with Eric Donkin's versatility with accents--in the 1980 H. M. S. Pinafore, he played Sir Joseph Porter with a very good Queen's English accent.
This is one of the best productions. However, the song "If that is so" sows the reality that yes, they will be happy. The line about "sufficiently decayed" is an expression where Ko-ko and Katisha are admitting that they both would rather not have to deal with having children. Ko-ko earlier had stated about seeing being LHE as a "purely nominal position", meaning he didn't see reason to execute people except for worthy offenses. Also, Katisha really only wanted love, and honestly.. Ko-ko really had no business trying to marry a ward in his custody.
Truly a five star production for one of musical theater's most brilliant works from Gilbert and Sullivan.Our theater to the north executes this incarnation with razor-sharp integrity, seamless work and a cast/crew deserving an ensemble award.Worth every moment to see the Canadian cast demonstrates the pure, love and respect
I have never seen any Gilbert and Sullivan Operas ,before in my life I’m a young 75😀 and yes I loved the Mikado so much.Thankyou for showing it all the way through. It will be great to watch it all over again. 🤩👍🏻
I just saw the elegant Jonathan Miller "1920's" Mikado in London at the ENO, and while I enjoyed it immensely on its own terms, this Canadian production made me realise how much of Gilbert's humour was lost in the slicked-up London production with its tap-dancing chorus of hotel maids. In the London production, some of Gilbert's best lines-"modified rapture," "to add corroborative detail to a bald and unconvincing narrative," "... my left elbow (on view Tuesdays and Thursdays upon presentation of a visiting card)"- were lost, due to the amount of simultaneous business going on in the bleached white lobby of the "English seaside resort". I was delighted that this Canadian production, with its splendid choreography, its minimal but charming sets, and its traditional costumes [The harmonizing pastels of the women's kimonos are a marvel to behold.], put Mr Gilbert's humour back into Mr Sullivan's unforgettable operetta. Delightful production!
I was lucky enough to have front row seats for this in Stratford, Canada. Went to all the G and S operettas they did as well as Gypsy, West Side Story, My Fair Lady, Fiddler on the Roof. All of these are very effective in introducing children and young people to the wealth of music out there.
I'm a die-hard Savoyard. I've seen most G & S live by D'Oyle Carte or G & S for All. I appreciate this update without losing the original concept. Well done all. I'm now 72 and living in SA so these are my only contacts with professional productions.
Did you like it at that age? Some of it must have seemed strange to you, you might not have understood a lot of it when you were that young. It's a pity in a way to take a very young child to something like this, because if you hadn't liked it, or had been scared by some of it, it could have put you off G&S for life, and that would have been really awful.
@@ruthsayers1163 Fear not! My mother took me to see it at the same young age. Indeed I probably understood none of it then but I formed a crush on Yum-Yum in the person of a young Valerie Masterson (D'Oyly Carte production). She hooked me on G&S for life which is wonderful.
As a lifetime G&S tragic, this is the finest production of The Mikado I've ever seen (and there have been many of them). Congratulations to all concerned. ... OK, after seeing Act II, I've had to edit this ... the performance isn't just fine ... it was fabulous.
I love how when he’s laughing maniacally at the end everyone else (including Katisha!) is sort of slowly backing away and Nanki-poo is just looking at him like: you okay, Dad?
I grew up watching this version, my parents had taped it off of PBS. I wore out the tape by the age of seven. The first thing I ever learned to play on the piano was the Mikado’s theme, and I’m a G and S devotee still. I’ve been in this one, ‘Patience,’ and ‘The Pirates if Penzance.’ I’ve seen many other versions, but this remains my absolute favorite!
I've just gotten into G&S a year or two ago. I've watched versions of all of them except "The Grand Duke" and "Utopia, Limited", but they're available on RU-vid - I just have to find time to watch them! I recently bought "The Complete Gilbert and Sullivan" librettos along with a book that reviews and analyzes every opera in great detail. There's really nothing like G&S in this day and age. Well, come to think of it, there was nothing like them in any age before either. It's so rare for artists to blend hilarity and sentimentality without one detracting from the other, but these two guys did it flawlessly.
I also grew up watching this version! My Nana recorded it on VHS when it first came out. My Grandpa eventually recorded it on DVD. But there are still parts that are worn out. Aren't we lucky that thisnis the version we know and love?
@@kyndramb7050 Very lucky! This is still one of my most favorite G and S adaptations. The costumes are so beautiful, and the whole production design really.
47:03 RIP Christina James (2018 May 15, Age 79). She gave a great and memorable performance, one of several highlights in this fantastic cast. She was survived by her daughter, step-children and husband David James... not alone.
This is an exceptionally beautiful production , direction , choreography , costumes , music , singing with vitality and verve . I think Gilbert and Sullivan would have approved this authentic presentation of the Mikado . I am taken back so many years when I first saw the Mikado performed by the Hereford UK Amateur Operatic Society in the 1940s , who were excellent .
I don't think so. Gilbert especially would have disapproved of the energy and goofiness of this production, believing it funnier if his words were sung straight-faced. This is still my favourite production of the Mikado, however.
It makes me very sad to think that these beautiful stage productions will fade eventually, the younger generation doesn’t understand nor appreciate them and will not make an effort to preserve them, maybe even try to destroy it. Very sad, life has very little pleasures besides enduring classics like this
People said the same about your generation, and whatever generation you're talking about will say the same about generations after THEIRS. People who didn’t like Jane Austen when they were 9 love it when they're 30, etc. Just cause you'll be dead before the tree grows doesn’t mean it won't cast shade for others to rest in. A lot of times, it's high membership fees, or lack of word of mouth, that’s keeping "younger generations" out of various societies. It's not that there's a total lack of interest. The number of times I've seen someone’s eyes light up when they hear there's a Jane Austen Society.
I have seen several performances of "The Mikado", in theatres, on television, and on RU-vid. This Stratford production is, by far, my favourite. I was lucky enough to see it performed live oh so many years ago.
I am 82, my parents were great lovers of G&S and I have heard or seen countless productions and I do believe this is one of the best I have come across. when I see a production I ask myself " Would Gilbert have approved of it?" In this case I am certain he would have enjoyed every minute,
As well as the incredible performances, I have to commend the marvelous pace of this music--so much faster (and for the better) than many Mikados I've heard.
So glad I found this eventually! Superb direction - tableaux are real works of art, choreography stunning, characterisation punctilious and genuinely funny: what a brilliant pooh-Bah and a wonderfully OTT Mikado! This makes the Eric Idle version look even more embarrassing...
This is one of the most enjoyable, satisfying productions I've seen. I like everything about it except one: the accents of the singers. Sorry, fellow viewers. These North American accents are as out of place as the flowers of spring: they have nothing to do with the case. I'm reminded of a remark attributed to George Balanchine, who's reputed to have said that at dance, if one doesn't like the choreography, one can close one's eyes and enjoy the music. At least if a person doesn't like much about the Eric Idle version, one can do that. Here, closing one's ears destroys the sounds and the sense.
@@tserkoslavjanskij I didn't even notice the North American accents!!!!!!!!! I was so carried away loving the performance.....................I JUST LOVE THE MIKADO!!!!!!!!! I LOVE HMS PINAFORE AS WELL.
The minimalistic set is innovative and enhances the whole. Splendid version of this masterpiece. Gidon Saks is perhaps the first to play the Mikado as a full blown psychotic. He's fabulous. As for Eric Donkin, he's incomparable. All the others are better than average.
I had a copy of this years ago copied from tv on vhs-it is without the BEST performance all round that I have EVER seen! the stage settings are enough are enough to take your breath away-LOVE Pooh-Bah!
I've LOVED G&S SINCE I WAS A CHILD!!!!! I first saw HMS Pinafore when I was about 10 or 11, it was a school production at a school that I was going to go to I TOTALLY FELL IN LOVE WITH IT. The school did The Mikado a few years later, and I loved watching that. The words and the songs are SO AMAZING. EVERYTHING'S AMAZING ABOUT THEM. G&S WERE SO GOOD WITH WORDS, THE PLAYS ON WORDS ARE BRILLIANT. I REALLY LOVE THEM. G&S WERE VERY GIFTED. BETWEEN THEM THEY WROTE SOME REALLY GREAT THINGS.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more delightfully OTT Mikado, so I looked up the actor, Gidon Saks. The exuberance may just have had to do with his being 22 years old at the time 😂 Great production.
Brings back memories, in the early 60's in our grammar school we did a school play of the Mikado. Of course we were not very professional, but I could sing along with this and my wife was amazed. Whenever you are in a play ( in my case anyway) the songs stay with you your whole life.
The famous duo Gilbert and Sullivan’s brilliant musical has been superbly directed and acted and sung by these wonderful artists! Gilbert’s brilliant Japanese language inclusion “Miya sama “ and “oo nee bikuri shakuri to” brings an authenticity to the musical! We had acted and sung this musical in our school in the sixties. Thoroughly enjoyed viewing this superb performance not forgetting the brilliant conductor and musicians playing in the background and which brought back so many memories! Thank you!
Great comedic timing and the singing is top-notch. They absolutely nail all my favorite songs in the 2nd act (which is pretty much all of them). Yum-Yum in particular has such a sweet tone and a mellower high end than is usual. Among my favorite renditions of "The sun whose rays are all ablaze..." and "Here’s a how-de-do!" Also an outstanding "Brightly dawns our wedding day..." I don't expect anyone to agree but the only low point for me is the Mikado himself who, love him or hate him, you must admit is rather chewing up the scenery. Now, I'm not one of these folks who laments how farcical the plays have become, I see that as a natural evolution with the times. Victorian-era bureaucracy is no longer part of people's lived experience so a straight satire might come off a bit dry compared to how lively these operettas are supposed to feel. I find it plausible that farce captures that spirit more effectively for a modern audience, though I do sympathize with the traditionalists. Having said that, I prefer a more restrained performance from the eponymous patriarch and find all the mugging here a bit cloying. And his song is about 10 bpm too fast for my taste. And I prefer the part be sung by a bass, even though it was traditionally a bass-baritone. I just think it helps distinguish the Mikado from the other great baritones in the play while contributing to his imposing presence. I know other people love him is this role so don't take my critique personally. I'm not knocking him to knock him, just love getting into the details with other fanatics. Other than that personal idiosyncrasy I see myself coming back to this page many times and can't wait to hear the 1st act.
Ok, amusing anecdote: I actually listened to recordings of the songs for a long time (decades) before I even knew there was a libretto. I thought the songs were the whole thing, like a rock opera. So, needless to say, some aspects of the story seemed very confusing. For example I didn't realize for many years that they're just making up the events in "The criminal cried as he dropped him down..." I thought all that stuff really happened. And I didn't know Nanki-Poo was essentially a caricature. I thought we were supposed to take his schtick at face value and for a long time didn't like his songs because of it. Once I saw the actual play (on RU-vid) I realized how tongue-in-cheek the role is and warmed up to it considerably. (Had a similar experience with Morrissey and The Smiths, oddly enough)
A wonderful all round production. Loved the voice of Nanki pooh. Have played in the orchestra for one production. And in the chorus for two. And most of the other G and S operettas. Hate to see them turned into Pantomime as was the dreadful Eric Idle production. Three little maids from school. As St Trinians. YUK. . Must be TRADITIONAL for me. The. Singing. Of the Chorus spot on. All the Principles Excellent. WELL DONE.
This production is incredible. This cast and director make Mikado one of my favorite pieces of my literary heritage. I think that it is so tragic that the Japanese consulate and Japanese community organizations are so racist as to claim that we can no longer do this production in America. How dare we let these foreigners dictate to us what we can and cannot enjoy of our own literary heritage.
Dude…. I’m obsessed with this performance’s Pooh-Bah and I love him with all my heart… I was crying laughing when I first watched this for an English course I took three or four years ago
A lovely production! I do not like all of the dancing; but there was always some. Otherwise, there were some very deft touches to the script (although they appear to have omitted "See how the fates...."), some clever staging and some very fine performances
To Geof Webb: Yum Yum, is a bit out of tune in the Madrigal but her overall performance...her foundation pitch as well as the overtones in her voice, line up perfectly...A bum note here and there from the principals is forgivable, considering the moderate difficulty of Sullivan's work. Chill out, dude..
