Change Your Image
knox-18
Reviews
The Mikado (1987)
A delightful production
Gilbert wrote about very English characters but set in exotic Japan. This production delightfully mixes a fantasy Japanese setting with English anachronisms. Lively choreography and "hammy" acting, mixed with the humour of the original, keep it entertaining for young and old.
This is a recording of a live performance from the Sydney Opera House by the Australian Opera. Although the production is modern, the music is completely faithful to Sullivan's tuneful original score. The sound is very good, although the singers can sound a bit distant when they are singing from the back of the stage - no radio mikes here! In case there is the odd person not completely au fait with the Australian political scene in the 1980's, the prime minister was Bob Hawke, the opposition leader was Andrew Peacock, and the opposition leader "in the wings" was the premier of Queensland, Joh "bananas" Bjelke-Petersen - this should explain some of the props.
This was re-released on DVD by Opus Arte in 2006 as a global (region free NTSC) release. (Virtually all PAL TV / DVD combinations can play NTSC DVDs, but the reverse is not true.)