‘The Mikado’ delights with modern, local touch

Gilbert and Sullivan’s "The Mikado" may be one of the most popular operettas of all time, but even if you’ve seen it a hundred times, you haven’t yet seen the topsy-turvy version Hawaii Opera Theatre is presenting.

In the original of 1885, the Japanese were entertainment for Victorian England; in HOT’s version, directed by Henry Akina, Hawaii is entertainment for the Japanese who come here to wed.

Japanese couples in formal, frilly wedding attire open scenes, pull back the curtain, direct the music, observe the play. The couples all look the same, are the same — only the colors of their flower bouquets change — and are ever-present, in a curiously symbiotic relationship with those on stage and in the audience.

(Note: Not everyone caught the symbolism — attendee Jane Schoonmaker was the first to notice.)

The design team — Akina, celebrated costume designer Anne Namba, costumer Helen E. Rodgers, wig/makeup designer Sue Sittko Schaefer and scenic/lighting designer Peter Dean Beck — has concocted a melting-pot potpourri of Hawaii, mixing old and new, Japanese, American and English.

The opening chorus, "If you want to know who we are, we are gentlemen of Japan … " reveals tourists in shorts and lei. The parade continues throughout with sushi chefs and joggers, bon-dancing ladies and punk kids, shoppers and camera buffs, and a muumuu-clad tour guide waving a flag, followed by a line of little old ladies pulling roller bags.

Namba’s designs highlighted the leads with the Harajuku look — the flamboyant pop style celebrating Japan’s "little girl" aesthetics — and the more subtle arm tattoos of the yakuza (see program notes on both). Wigs usually add subtle touches, but in this production, Schaefer’s wigs played a striking lead role.

Beck created an appealing unit set, its symmetrical structure a trio of torii gates with low steps below and banners or paper lanterns above. Visual gags abounded, from flashlights and fans to selfies on cellphones — keep your eyes wide open! In the closing scene, as golden glitter flitters down, it is the wedding couple who throw rice, wishing prosperity and good fortune on the cast.

"The Mikado" continues to charm largely because of Gilbert’s scintillating wordplay, and HOT has provided judicious miking and supertitles to ensure audiences catch every word.

Comedic fun even for first-timers, "The Mikado" is an exceedingly clever delight for those who love the nuance and play of language and rhyme. Those who know music history will also enjoy the more subtle lampooning of musical genres, from operatic arias and lovers’ serenades to English ballads and "fa-la" madrigals.

One of the performance traditions of "The Mikado" is adding current references. It wouldn’t do to give anything away — suffice to say there was a lot of laughing.

Cast, chorus­ and orchestra were strong, with several standout performances.

Baritone Curt Olds ruled the stage as Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. As strong an actor as singer, he delivered spot-on comic timing and proved riveting in every scene in his Japanese "Elvis-boy" hair and black leather pants. One of the highlights of the evening was his seduction scene with mezzo-soprano Victoria Livengood, also outstanding as Katisha, the Mikado’s elderly Daughter-in-Law Elect.

Joshua Kohl, as leading young lover Nanki-Poo, has a wonderfully full, clear tenor that was a joy to listen to whenever he sang, and he was well matched with Sarah Asmar, the sweet young thing Yum-Yum, with her light, equally clear soprano.

Bass-baritone Jaime Offenbach, the Mikado, is already tall and thin and was made excessively so with high-heeled boots, a floor-length cape and a tall staff. He embodied a somewhat outre Mikado, strutting around stage with his wild, deep laugh, humorously terrifying everyone.

Regular Hawaii opera audiences will enjoy the several local performers: Leon Williams (Pish-Tush), Mary Chesnut Hicks (lovely singing as Pitti-Sing), John Mount (Pooh-Bah), Megan Mount (Peep-Bo), and most notably, Kenny Endo, who performed himself as Master Taiko Drummer. Endo was on stage throughout, contributing not just ambiance but outstanding solos. Including Endo and taiko was a stroke of genius.

Conductor Tim Shaindlin navigated the work’s very challenging ensemble (keeping everyone together), slowing tempos to make the words easier to hear and adjusting for performers, comic timing, improvisation and audience reaction.

Perhaps both the most challenging and rewarding aspect of performing "The Mikado" live is that it is so well known. Live performances can never be quite as crisp or perfect as carefully mixed recordings, but neither are they as predictable, and therein lies the fun. HOT has delivered what live theater does best — delightful surprises in unexpected interpretations and exciting performances.

Ruth O. Bingham received her doctorate in musicology from Cornell University and has been reviewing the musical arts for more than 25 years.