The Mikado

Essential Operatic Viewing

The Mikado

Music by Arthur Sullivan, libretto by W.S Gilbert, adapted by John Savournin

Charles Court Opera at the Arcola Theatre until 23^rd September

Review by Patrick Shorrock

This is the simply the best Mikado that I have seen.  It even surpasses the famous Jonathan Miller ENO version at the Coliseum.  G&S is a delicate plant that is easily killed if the performers betray the slightest awareness that they are funny or think that they can get away with bad singing.  Sullivan’s music deserves – and rewards – the very best a singer can give, and gets it here in an excellent production that ensures that both the comedy and the music make the maximum possible impact.  The Madrigal, in particular, is utterly captivating: dead in tune and beautifully sung.

Paradoxically, one of the things that makes this production so successful is its reduced scale.  There is a piano, excellently played by David Eaton, instead of an orchestra and no chorus other than the cast singing together.  But, in the beautifully intimate Arcola, with no orchestra in the way, we are able to relish every look, gesture and raised eyebrow: this becomes a comedy of character interaction rather than a succession of numbers. 

In John Savournin’s extremely skilled production, the opera takes place in a British Consulate that looks exactly like a gentlemen’s club with a chesterfield, drinks trolley, and deep crimson patterned carpet.  Only a Japanese screen at the back indicates that we are not in St James’s, but the Japanese Province of Totori in a sort-of idealised 1940’s, with maids fresh from finishing school in lovely frocks, and buttoned-up senior civil servants and diplomats in posh suits, who would give Sir Humphrey Appleby a run for his money and Dominic Cummins nightmares. 

In a laudable but misguided attempt to avoid orientalist stereotyping, the characters have all been renamed.  As it is British behaviour that is being sent up under the Japoniserie, the changes of name are less damaging than they might be, with the Japanese setting only required for laws against flirting and the requirement that wives of those who are executed be buried alive. 

Nanki Poo is now Charles Chauncey Drew and sung with gorgeous lyricism by Robin Bailey.  Yum Yum has become Victoria Plum, who is delectably played by Alys Roberts, although she does sometimes sound a little vinegary at the top.  Pooh Bah becomes Hugh Barr: Matthew Siverter is superb, with immaculate singing and delivery of the text, playing the role as a repressed bureaucrat on the take, that actually gives the characterisation a bit of edge. 

The Mikado and Katisha retain their names and are in British Army dress.  John Savournin (also playing Peter Rush/Pish Tush) captures the relaxed menace of a man whose authority has never been challenged because he can order the execution of anyone he meets.   Amy J Payne doesn’t make the mistake of overdoing things as Katisha, and is all the more effective as a result. 

But the stand-out performance is Matthew Kellett as Ko-Ko (Colin Cole).  He plays the part as a hyperactive wide boy in brown shoes and out of his depth, but with the gift of the gab and a cockney accent that ensure his survival.  Tit Willow is a piece of desperate improvisation, beautifully sung, with the intensity of a Schubert Lied, but still wonderfully funny in a way that enables Katisha’s reactions to enhance the comic effect.  His sheer energy and perfect comic timing command as much respect as his vocal ability.  I remember that Kellett was impressive in Charles Court’s Beowulf the Panto, but here he is outstanding, as he demonstrates that he has the musicality and charisma to be a very fine opera singer.  I look forward to next performance with impatience.   

This production is one of Charles Court Opera’s finest achievements, both in the individual performances and as an overall ensemble, and shows why they are in demand at venues all over, from the King’s Head Islington, to Holland Park Opera, and Wilton’s Music Hall.  In December at the Jermyn St Theatre, their panto version of The Odyssey is likely to be a beautifully bijou seasonal treat.  Book your tickets now.

Patrick Shorrock, September 2023

Photography by Bill Knight