We acknowledge that the works of Gilbert and Sullivan suffer somewhat from a 'bad press'. Many people see them as out-dated and of no relevance to a modern society. That is why we try to make all of our G&S productions as accessible to as many people as possible

When "The Mikado" was first produced in 1885, it was obvious that, although it had a Japanese setting (as did everything else at that time), the piece was really a parody of English society, which is why it has remained the most popular of all the Savoy Operas with "Swing", "Black", "Hot" and "Cool" Mikados appearing over the years.

So why "The Corporate Mikado"? We believe the problem with many of these previous incarnations is that they were altered so drastically, both in the libretto and the score, that they lost the appeal that has sustained the original for over a century. When we began to consider up-dating the opera we were adamant that the score must not be touched. This of course means that those members of the audience familiar with the original will find no change in the music and the performers can still use the published vocal score and orchestral parts!

Because of the strength of the original story there have been only minor alterations to the plot in order to remove its anomalies and any archaic references, leaving the majority of the original libretto intact.The major difference will be immediately apparent in the staging. Not only has the opera been up-dated but it's also been post-dated. The Mikado's domination is now economic rather than military and privatisation has gone to its ultimate with Great Britain having been taken over by 'Mikado INC of Tokyo' and renamed "TITIPU PLC", whose high-rise headquarters are now the setting for the story. Political correctness has also been taken to its extreme, with sexual harassment in the workplace being the only capital offence.

....What the papers said....

	"...doubts were soon forgotten..."
"..a fun packed evening..."
"..made the whole thing easier to follow..."	"..made it more enjoyable for an audience unfamiliar with Gilbert and Sullivan..."

In accordance with the original script, Ko-Ko has been preserved from execution and now becomes Titipu's Chief Executive but he is the only character who is unaware of the reason and of the significance of his appointment. Other characters have been updated too. Nanki-Poo, the original 'Wandering Minstrel' is now a Karaoke machine salesman, and there can be no doubt that the 'Three Little Maids' from school have most definitely graduated!