Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society - The Mikado

The Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society are an amateur dramatics group that have been in existence since 1924, with the sole aim of performing and appreciating the works of W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan. For their annual performance this year, we’re transported across the world to Japan in The Mikado, one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular operas. Set in the fictional Japanese town of Titipu, poor musician Nanki-Poo (Scott Barron) has arrived in search of his love, Yum-Yum (Gillian Robertson), who is scheduled to marry her ward and Titipu’s Lord High Executioner, Ko-Ko (Geoff Lee).

When the Mikado (Ian Lawson) decrees that there have not been enough executions in Titipu, Nanki-Poo agrees to let Ko-Ko behead him if he can marry Yum-Yum. As Ko-Ko proves to be unable to execute anyone, the people of Titpu conspire to trick the Mikado into believing that Nanki-Poo was executed, unaware that Nanki-Poo is in fact the Mikado’s long lost son. Full of recognisable classics such as 'Three Little Maids From School Are We', the choral singing is good but many of the soloists lack the projection required for such roles. Robertson is the stand-out performer of the show, with a beautiful sweetness of tone and plenty of vocal strength. The all-round acting is better, with Matthew Stanhope playing a wonderfully pompous Pooh-Bah, and Lee a convincingly snivelling Ko-Ko.The group choreography is simple but effective, if a little overly busy at times with performers coming on and off the stage for no apparent reason.

Gilbert and Sullivan’s comedy feels rather outdated and appears to have become simplistic as time has passed. The opera was originally written as a mechanism to criticise contemporary British politics, so a few modern alternatives have been included to give the piece a little more relevance. However, these snippets are rare and light, and a braver attempt to flood the piece with political remarks and parodies might help bring the comedy and the piece more into the present. In theatre, and especially comedy, timing is everything. In light of Japan’s recent and on-going multiple disasters, the play seems very trivial in comparison. Although of course this couldn't be helped, the playful stereotypes and light-hearted scenarios lack the enthusiastic welcome from the audience they may have received in kinder circumstances.