Hot Mikado set to spice up Lowry

East meets west head-on in this revival of Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic Hot Mikado directed by Strictly Come Dancing judge, Craig Revel Horwood which is headed for the Lowry next month.

The 1940s-style actor/musician show incorporates blues, Cab Calloway swing, hot gospel, scorching torch songs, and “Three Little Maids” turned into a sexy Andrews Sisters’ show-stopper.

Set in Japan, the show features the inhabitants of the village of Titi-Pu. A wandering musician named Nanki-Poo enters the scene, looking for his true love, Yum-Yum. He discovers that she is about to marry her ward, Ko-Ko. What transpires is a rowdy tale that combines Gilbert and Sullivan’s timeless style with a heavy dose of swing and blues.

Revel Horwood’s West End choreographing credits include an Olivier Award for Spend, Spend, Spend! and Beautiful and the Damned. He directed and choreographed Sunset Boulevard which transferred from The Watermill last year to the West End. This revival of his 2006 production of Hot Mikado embraces both Kabuki, classical Japanese dance and drama; and Manga, Japanese-style cartoons. The result is a thoroughly contemporary approach to Gilbert & Sullivan’s operetta.

Sarah Travis, the Musical Director and Arranger for the show also worked on Sunset Boulevard, Hot Mikado, Martin Guerre with Craig and recently Spend, Spend, Spend! She won a Tony Award for Best Orchestration for Sweeney Todd in New York. 

The robust score and lively choreography will be given life by a cast that includes:  Robin Colyer, Neil Ditt, Jeffrey Harmer and Karen Mann who appeared in the original production of Hot Mikado at The Watermill in 2006.

Hot Mikado runs at the Lowry from 6 -10 October.