Hilarious high camp comedy features in a new production of The Mikado as Sasha Regan returns to Bath with her all-male version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s famous operetta.
The award-winning all-male G&S Company return to Theatre Royal for the first time in more than five years and this production is well worth the ticket.
The company has previously entertained Bath audiences with their hugely successful all-male versions of The Pirates of Penzance in 2015, H.M.S. Pinafore in 2016, The Mikado in 2017 and Iolanthe in 2018.
Appearing at the Theatre Royal until July 15, the joyous show is on a short tour which has already visited Winchester and is scheduled to go to Truro and Cambridge.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s satire on the English establishment and much-loved music are married with Sasha Regan’s wicked sense of fun in this unmissable and uplifting version of the classic operatta.
The Mikado is traditionally set in Japan, but Regan’s inventive production transposes the storyline to 1950s England and an all-boys school camping trip to the far away land of Titipu.
In this witty tale of love, corruption in local government, marriage and heroics, topsy-turvy capers abound when the son of the Mikado flees his father’s imperial court and falls for Miss Violet Plumb, who is betrothed to the Lord High Executioner.
Gilbert and Sullivan’s humorous masterpiece features the songs A Wand’ring Minstrel I, Behold the Lord High Executioner and Three Little Maids from School Are We.
Returning to Bath are Richard Russell Edwards, who plays Hebe Flo, Sam Kipling, who plays Miss Violet Plumb, and David McKechnie, who appears as Mr Cocoa.
The company also features Oliver Bradley-Taylor as Bertie Hugh, replacing Declan Egan for the remainder of the tour.
Lewis Kennedy plays Mikado, George Dawes is Wilfred Lush, Aidan Nightingale is Albert Barr, Owen Clayton is Bluebell Tring and Christopher Hewitt is Kitty Shaw.
They are joined by the Ensemble company featuring Harry Cooper-Millar, Patrick Cook, Struan Davidson, Francisco Gomes, Elliot Akeister and Shane Antony-Whitely.
I’m not going to single out any one performer as they were all excellent and although the high camp and comedy are exploited by Sasha Regan throughout one never feels that it’s over the top and unnecessary.
While the cast managed to transform themselves using minimal props and costumes and their singing is excellent, they have much to thank for the musical direction, choreography, lighting and stage design.
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