Gilbert and Sullivan to grace VCU stage this weekend

With 19th century Japan serving as a
backdrop and British political satire as
the engine, “The Mikado” – a work of
operatic icons W.S. Gilbert and Arthur
Sullivan – will soon grace the stage of
VCU’s W.E. Singleton Center for the
Performing Arts.

The duo, commonly referred to as Gilbert
and Sullivan, has etched their names
in musical-theater history by penning 14
comic operas, of which “The Mikado” is
among the most known.

Sullivan’s musical compositions accompany
librettist Gilbert’s lyrics and
dialogue as they weave together a tale
whose themes pervade much of the
dramatic repertoire-love and death.
Nanki-Poo, son of the “Mikado” – the
Japanese word for emperor – flees his
father’s court and Katisha, the elderly
woman whom he is supposed to marry.
During his travels disguised as a minstrel,
Nanki-Poo meets and becomes enamored
with Yum-Yum, who – as typical fictional
literature dictates – is betrothed to another-
her guardian Ko-Ko. An arranged
marriage and a possible impending love
triangle are not the characters’ only concerns.
Ko-Ko has been accused of flirting,
a violation of the law punishable by death
in a land where laws are decreed upon the
whims and fancies of the Mikado.

Humorous title assignments – a “Lord
of Everything Else” reigns, and the
degeneration of rank from a “town” to
a “village” is seen as a harsh castigation
– and an absurdly revealing illustration of
the bureaucracy of the beheading process
make this opera currently relevant, even
after its first opening more than a century
ago.

Ralph MacPhail Jr., director of VCU’s
production of “The Mikado,” agrees.

“It (‘The Mikado’) is still funny without
having to update many of the jokes,”
MacPhail said.

Being a self-proclaimed traditionalist,
MacPhail, who is the artistic director of
the Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Austin,
Texas, in an earlier interview, mentioned
altering a single joke from the original
libretto. In a song performed by Ko-Ko,
the term “lady novelist” was changed to
“telemarketist” for a more contemporary
reference.

MacPhail thinks the work’s inherent
endurability is in part because of its ability
to be relevant to a modern-day audience.
(Pooh-Bah, “Lord High Everything Else,”
insists in a song that the women being
referenced are not young ladies but young
persons.)
MacPhail, who received his Master of
Fine Arts in Directing from VCU in 1972,
views this task as an emotional return to
his old stomping grounds.

“In a way, it’s a homecoming,” MacPhail
said.

The director, who has been teaching
at Bridgewater College for 33 years,
expressed his positive feelings about the
experience thus far.

“It’s a pleasure to be working with
such talented young people and people
who love opera and good music . and
with such a large orchestra . it doesn’t
happen very often.”

MacPhail has teamed up with Melanie
Kohn Day, vocal instructor, and Daniel
Myssyk, director of the VCU Symphonic
Orchestra, to put on this rather significant
undertaking, with a promising output.

“It’s been a real joy,” said MacPhail
about his experience with music faculty
and students. “There’s a lot to be proud
of down at VCU.”

—

“The Mikado” is showing at the W.E.
Singleton Center April 26 and April 27 at
7:30 p.m. Tickets are $5-$10 and may be
purchased in advance by calling the VCU
Music Box Office at 804 – 828 – 6776 or in
person, 90 minutes before the concert.