Hot Mikado

Synopsis

Originally run in the West End 1995. East meets West head-on in an hilarious 1940's-style updating of the perennial Gilbert and Sullivan classic. Join an heir on the lam, a reluctant executioner and a woman loved by two men in an all-singing, all-dancing colourful show that is certain to provide the ideal evening out for the whole family.

Our Review:

14 October 2009

Hot Mikado suffers something of an identity crisis. It can’t quite decide whether it wants to be musical satire or slapstick farce, set in Japan or America, a reflection of modern society or a throwback to the 1930s. The result is a sometimes confusing mixture of Gilbert and Sullivan, modern pop culture references, mobile phones, swing, gospel, kimonos and samurai swords. The plot remains essentially the same: Nanki-Poo disguises himself as a second trumpet to escape marriage to the older Katisha and woo his beloved Yum-Yum who is in turn betrothed to the Lord High Executioner, Koko. While the songs of the original operetta translate surprisingly well into modern jazz and swing styles, there does not seem to be any point to doing so.

It starts with an interesting premise but fails to do anything with it. This is much of the problem of Hot Mikado – it does not quite go the whole way. The best features were its very funny and intelligent comments upon current affairs and had it...

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