Review: THE MIKADO Preserves the Vibrant Legacy of Gilbert & Sullivan for a New Generation at Kaye Playhouse

The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players came back this season with a vibrant staging of the Mikado that proves the longevity of Gilbert and Sullivan’s work. NYGASP’s mission statement is to “preserve the living legacy” of Gilbert and Sullivan, a feat they do well by adding modern touches into an otherwise fastidiously faithful production. At the opening of the show, for example, the announcer notes that the use of cell phones and “other 21st century technology” is prohibited. Every time they mount the Mikado, small touches are changed, so even if you’ve seen it before, you’ve literally never seen it quite like this. The patter songs “I’ve Got a Little List” and “To Let the Punishment Fit the Crime,” which list out society members who deserve to be punished, were rewritten for 2024 (among those on the list this time? Annoying TikTok stars). At one point a character, illustrating a dance, dabs, drawing guffaws from the audience and smiles on the faces of many children in the audience. These small changes and silly touches make NYGASP’s show a particularly good entry point to the theater for children, who may not be quite old enough to know what every single word used means, but can understand the broad slapstick and goofiness of the production. There’s plenty of visual stimulation for audiences of any age, with impressive set pieces and imaginative costumes fusing eastern and western designs of the time with some fanciful touches. The jokes, too, work surprisingly well considering that they’re nearly 150 years old. Very, very few comedic works from the 1880s still hold up in front of a modern audience.

Silliness is certainly the name of the game in the Mikado (the plot revolves around the excessively harsh penalties imposed for flirting by the government and whether or not an executioner can cut off his own head, among other ridiculous things). However, the score is also excellent, one of the best that Gilbert and Sullivan ever wrote. From the opening notes of the chillingly beautiful overture, the NYGASP band outdid themselves. The ensemble sang gorgeously; a few standouts were Hannah Holmes as Katisha and David Macaluso as Ko-Ko, who sang the rousing and extremely funny “There Is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast,” and Rebecca Hargrove and John Charles McLaughlin as Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo, the young lovers contriving to end up with each other away from their respective middle-aged suitors. The entire cast has astounding comedic timing and delivery. Hargrove brought the house down with Yum-Yum’s delightfully un-self-aware monologue about how she doesn’t suffer from vanity.

Even if you’re not already a fan of G&S, if you enjoy musical theater you should consider checking out a NYGASP show if you can. These 100-plus-year-old operettas are the forefathers of modern musical theater, paving the way for shows like Hamilton. With fun touches and a nod to current events, NYGASP’s productions provide a look into the workings of history in an extremely accessible way. They’ll return on April 6th and 7th with a double-header of two rarely produced Gilbert and Sullivan works, The Sorcerer and Trial By Jury.