"GILBERT and Sullivan get jazzed up in New York thanks to the latest show to be staged by a popular am-dram group.
Porthill Players follow up last year's production of My Fair Lady with Hot Mikado – an operetta with a toe-tapping twist.
The musical, which begins its run on Monday, stays true to the Victorian original.
Theatrical duo WS Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan penned The Mikado in 1885 and it was an immediate success.
It follows the tale of the hapless Nanki Poo, who is running away to avoid marriage to his older admirer Katisha.
His journey takes him to the town of Titi Pu, where he encounters a host of strangely named characters including Ko Ko, Pooh Bah, Yum Yum, Pitti Sing and Peep Boo.
"Quite what Gilbert & Sullivan were thinking when they created these characters is anyone's guess, but it all adds to the comedy," says Porthill Players' chairman Jonathan Fernyhough.
But in Hot Mikado, the action instead takes place on the streets of the Big Apple during the 1940s rather than in Imperial Japan.
And thanks to the addition of a seven-piece live band, the soundtrack gets under way with a swing.
"The show retains all the original satire and song titles, but they are played out in a speeded-up, toe-tapping way which only adds to the witty script," explains Jonathan.
Hot Mikado was originally adapted by David H Bell and Rob Bowman, and premiered in Washington in 1986.
It certainly couldn't be further away from the society's highly acclaimed production of My Fair Lady last year – which was staged to celebrate the group's 100th anniversary.
The set is designed by the Stoke Repertory Theatre's Brian Hadley, while Rachel Millar is making her debut as the director and choreographer.
Liz Talbot is returning as musical director and the cast includes Ian Brereton, Sue Hargreaves, Amy Hargreaves, Rob Lawton, Daniel Mee and John Stone.
"The set is amazing," Jonathan says.
"It is exactly what you expect a Japanese garden to look like, with pergola, bridges and ponds – and then on come these 1940s-dressed characters with American accents."
Sentinel Newspaper - May
11, 2012
