Gilbert and Sullivan
A new production by Opera Queensland
A world of forbidden love and delightful satire
A true romantic comedy, Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado is fresh, fun, cheeky -- and in English.
Set in a Japan that never actually existed, this hilarious parody unfolds in the mythical town of Titipu, a place where flirting has become a capital crime – punishable by death.
A year before the action of the opera unfolds, Nanki-Poo, son of the Mikado (the Emperor of Japan), fled his father's imperial court to escape certain marriage with Katisha, an elderly woman and resident court cougar.
Disguised as a travelling musician, Nanki-Poo meets and falls in love with Yum-Yum, the young ward of Ko-Ko, a low-cost tailor in the town of Titipu, to whom she is betrothed. All seems lost for the travelling troubadour, that is, until he hears that
Ko-Ko has been condemned to death for the crime of flirting.
Spurred on by hope, our hero returns to Titipu to reclaim the heart of his beloved Yum-Yum. But, as in most British comedy, things take a turn toward the absurd and the saucy.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s spicy dip into the world of subterfuge and political satire has been thrilling audiences for generations, but seems even more poignant today. In an incurably bizarre world, this colourful production of The Mikado proves that laughter is still the best medicine.
Queensland Symphony Orchestra Ensemble
Opera Queensland Ensemble
Sung in English