In an era of cultural sensitivity, many classics of opera, theater and literature are under scrutiny, especially for their depiction of ethnicity. Some concerns are spurious: No one with a functioning brain should call Mark Twain racist for quoting everyday speech of his time. Other great texts have seen careful reinterpretation: Some scholars have shown Shakespeare to be less anti-Semitic than was usual for the 16th century. In opera and musical theater, some people just focus on the beautiful melodies and hope the problematic words melt away.
When Milwaukee Opera Theatre decided to perform Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, they chose to transcend the potential for controversy over an operetta formerly staged by white actors in yellow face. Says MOT’s Artistic Director Jill Anna Ponasik, the idea came to her as she contemplated how best to fill a venue they had reserved, the Next Act Theatre, a larger hall than the company usually plays. “And we had three performers who regularly work with us who all had mentioned doing The Mikado,” she adds. “Their interest in it was simmering in the back of my mind!”
One of those performers, Timothy Rebers, plays Pish-Tush in the upcoming production. “I discovered a 1930s movie version of The Mikado in the library, on VHS, when I was 13,” he says. “It’s what sucked me into opera in the first place. I memorized The Mikado in high school.”
The Mikado’s history is complicated and intriguing. It debuted in 1885 during a period of genuine fascination in the Western world with Japanese art and culture. “The Japanese setting is a ruse,” Rebers says, “a fantasy world that allowed [librettist William] Gilbert to comment on British culture.” Ponasik adds, “The piece is ultimately about satirizing British customs, laws, bureaucracy and the class system.”
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Many of those jabs are applicable to 21st-century America, hence the contemporary staging. “No kimonos or fans will be harmed in the production,” Ponasik says, laughing. The cast will be dressed like a contemporary rock band in T-shirts and black jeans and will play percussion instruments, moving between instruments to create a kinetic energy mirroring the infectious gaiety Gilbert and Sullivan intended. “We’ve lifted it out of Japan and thrust it into a percussion playground. We’ve created a very abstract relationship to the Asian elements of the story,” Ponasik explains.
The percussive chorus results in music that often, according to Ponasik, “will sound very much like traditional productions—with maybe a slight re-orchestration. But on some pieces, we will depart entirely from the original arrangements. Accompanied by guitar and tambourines, ‘The List’ will sound folky, like Peter, Paul and Mary. Our goal was to create a uniquely Milwaukee Opera Theatre Mikado—authentic to us without being disrespectful.”
Milwaukee Opera Theatre’s The Mikado runs March 19-29 at Next Act Theatre, 255 S. Water St. For tickets call 1-800-838-3006 or visit mikado.brownpapertickets.com.
