Off-Monroe Players present Gilbert and Sullivan's THE MIKADO
The Off-Monroe Players, Rochester’s Gilbert and Sullivan Company since 1977, is pleased to present one of the talented team’s classic shows: The Mikado, or The Town of Titipu.
On the opening night of The Mikado, March 14, 1885, author W. S. Gilbert and composer Arthur Sullivan experienced the greatest triumph of their careers. Their “New and Original Japanese Opera” was trendy: a take-off on the 1880s English craze for Japanese art, fashion, and culture. But while the play took place in a (mythical) Japanese village and used a few words of Japanese, The Mikado satirized English culture and attitudes.
It also contained brilliantly funny dialogue and lyrics, and a tuneful score including “The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring,” “Three Little Maids from School,” and “Here’s a Howdy-Do!” The Mikado originally ran more than 600 performances in London, with thousands more in America, Germany, Russia, Mexico, and, to be sure, Japan. It’s been made into children’s books and movies, seen on TV, and jazzed up as The Hot Mikado, and remains one of the most popular Gilbert and Sullivan shows.
(The Mikado and its performance traditions have occasionally been the cause of controversy, including very recently; for more information about this and other aspects of The Mikado, including its odd political history and Japanese reactions to the show, check the OMP website.)
The Mikado is directed by Amanda Lobaugh, with musical direction by Emily Mills and Joseph Janover.
Performances take place from May 8 through 17, Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m. The May 8 performance (opening night) will be ASL interpreted.
All performances will take place in the Celebration Hall at Downtown United Presbyterian Church, 121 North Fitzhugh Street, 14614.
All Off-Monroe Players performances are free, but reservations are recommended. For more information, call 585-232-5570, go to www.off-monroeplayers.org or write to [email protected]
Event Links
Website: https://go.evvnt.com/3580524-0
