Hot Mikado
Encyclopedia
Hot Mikado is a musical comedy, based on Gilbert and Sullivan
's The Mikado
, adapted by David H. Bell (book and lyrics) and Rob Bowman (orchestrations and arrangements). After researching the 1939 Broadway musical, The Hot Mikado
, Bell and Bowman created a new adaptation, Hot Mikado.
The original production ran from March 18–July 27, 1986 at Ford's Theatre
in Washington, DC, where Bell was artistic director. Bell directed and choreographed the production. The musical also had an early Chicago production, among other revivals and ran in London's West End
in 1995. It has enjoyed many additional productions in North America and the UK since then. In 2010, it ran at the New Repertory Theatre
in Watertown, Massachusetts
. and the Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre in Chicago. International productions have included a long-running Prague
staging and a run in Dublin.
(neon, brass, mahogany). The costumes include zoot suits, snoods, wedgies and felt hats, executed in the colorful silk kimono textures of Japan.
The score uses much of Sullivan's original music but is reorchestrated using 1940s popular musical harmonies and arrangements and a wide range of styles, including jazz, hot gospel, blues
, rock, Cab Calloway
swing, and torch songs. The 'Three Little Maids' sing in Andrews Sisters' style. Many of the songs of Hot Mikado have the same name and melody as in The Mikado, but often have a twist. For example, the song "I Am So Proud" has the same melody for the verses, changing only towards the end, where it folds into a more jazz
y round. The dances called for include the Lindy Hop
, tap-dancing, the jitterbug and other 1940s dances.
The orchestrations call for Double Bass (db. Bass Guitar), Drums (db. Timpani
, Duck Call, Glockenspiel
, Large Gong
, Mark tree
, Triangle and Wood Block), Alto Saxophone (db. Clarinet/ Flute) , Trombone (db. Cowbell), and Trumpet (db. Flugelhorn/ Tambourine).
After a revival at Chicago's Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre in 1994, the musical was revived in 1995 Washington, DC, again at Ford's Theatre. The production received Helen Hayes Awards for (1) Outstanding Director—Resident Musical—David H. Bell; and (2) Outstanding Lead Actor—Resident Musical—Ross Lehman (Ko-Ko). Productions were also nominated for the following awards: (1) 2005 Los Angeles Drama Critics Award: Best Production; (2) 2004 Los Angeles Ovation Award: Best Musical; and (3) 1995 Helen Hayes Award: Outstanding Resident Musical. Bell has directed several other professional productions since 1986, including in his home city of Chicago.
1993 and 2003 regional productions
The original producers staged productions at the Marriott Theatre
in Lincolnshire, Illinois
in 1993 and again in 2003.
1995 West End production
A production was mounted in London's West End
at the Queen's Theatre
in 1995 (after a tryout in Bromley
's Churchill Theatre) and ran for three months. It was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The cast included Lawrence Hamilton as the Mikado, Paul Manuel as Nanki-Poo, Ross Lehman as Ko-Ko, Richard Lloyd King as Pooh-Bah, Ben Richards
as Pish-Tush, Neil Couperthwaite as Junior, Paulette Ivory as Yum-Yum, Alison Jiear
as Pitti-Sing, Veronica Hart as Peep-Bo and Sharon Benson as Katisha. Bell directed, and the musical director for the production was Simon Lee, who also supervised the preparation of a cast recording
(First Night: CD48). The show received good notices, with Plays International writing, "all the disparate elements come together into a very lively and enjoyable evening."
2006 Watermill Theatre production
Craig Revel Horwood
directed, and Sarah Travis
music directed, a successful production of Hot Mikado at the Watermill Theatre
in England in 2006, which was revived there in 2009, followed by a tour.
2010 regional productions
In 2010, the New Repertory Theatre
of Watertown Massachusetts mounted a production, as did Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre. International productions have included a long-running Prague
staging and a run in Dublin.
Others
Many community groups and high schools have performed the show in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada. International professional productions have included a long-running Prague
staging and a run in Dublin.
Casting is intended to be interracial, with the Mikado, Katisha and Pooh-Bah specifically singing in African-American musical styles.
Act II
Gilbert and Sullivan
Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the librettist W. S. Gilbert and the composer Arthur Sullivan . The two men collaborated on fourteen comic operas between 1871 and 1896, of which H.M.S...
's The Mikado
The Mikado
The Mikado; or, The Town of Titipu is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert, their ninth of fourteen operatic collaborations...
, adapted by David H. Bell (book and lyrics) and Rob Bowman (orchestrations and arrangements). After researching the 1939 Broadway musical, The Hot Mikado
The Hot Mikado (1939 production)
The Hot Mikado was a 1939 musical theatre adaptation of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado with an African-American cast. Mike Todd originally produced it after the Federal Theatre Project turned down his offer to manage the WPA production of The Swing Mikado .The Hot Mikado was jazzier than The...
, Bell and Bowman created a new adaptation, Hot Mikado.
The original production ran from March 18–July 27, 1986 at Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre
Ford's Theatre is a historic theater in Washington, D.C., used for various stage performances beginning in the 1860s. It is also the site of the assassination of U.S. President Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865...
in Washington, DC, where Bell was artistic director. Bell directed and choreographed the production. The musical also had an early Chicago production, among other revivals and ran in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
in 1995. It has enjoyed many additional productions in North America and the UK since then. In 2010, it ran at the New Repertory Theatre
New Repertory Theatre
The New Repertory Theatre is a Boston-area Regional theater company based in Watertown, Massachusetts.The New Repertory Theatre " is the third largest theatre in the Greater Boston area. It presents world premieres, contemporary and classic works in intimate settings." The artistic director is...
in Watertown, Massachusetts
Watertown, Massachusetts
The Town of Watertown is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 31,915 at the 2010 census.- History :Archeological evidence suggests that Watertown was inhabited for thousands of years before the arrival of settlers from England...
. and the Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre in Chicago. International productions have included a long-running Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
staging and a run in Dublin.
Production details
The plot of Hot Mikado does not stray far from the Gilbert and Sullivan original, with a similar satiric tone. Katisha is played as a vamp. Ko-Ko is characterized in a manner similar to such characters as Sergeant Bilko. An extra male character, Junior, is added, who takes some of Pish-Tush's lines and sings the solo in "Braid the raven hair." The show is set in Japan in the 1940s, with suggested settings and costuming combining Japanese design with American 1940s design. The set uses Japanese architecture, executed in the textures of The Cotton ClubThe Cotton Club
The Cotton Club may refer to:* Cotton Club , a famous nightclub in New York City.* Cotton Club , a now-defunct club in Portland, Oregon.* The Cotton Club , a film centered on the New York club....
(neon, brass, mahogany). The costumes include zoot suits, snoods, wedgies and felt hats, executed in the colorful silk kimono textures of Japan.
The score uses much of Sullivan's original music but is reorchestrated using 1940s popular musical harmonies and arrangements and a wide range of styles, including jazz, hot gospel, blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
, rock, Cab Calloway
Cab Calloway
Cabell "Cab" Calloway III was an American jazz singer and bandleader. He was strongly associated with the Cotton Club in Harlem, New York City where he was a regular performer....
swing, and torch songs. The 'Three Little Maids' sing in Andrews Sisters' style. Many of the songs of Hot Mikado have the same name and melody as in The Mikado, but often have a twist. For example, the song "I Am So Proud" has the same melody for the verses, changing only towards the end, where it folds into a more jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
y round. The dances called for include the Lindy Hop
Lindy Hop
The Lindy Hop is an American social dance, from the swing dance family. It evolved in Harlem, New York City in the 1920s and '30s and originally evolved with the jazz music of that time. Lindy was a fusion of many dances that preceded it or were popular during its development but is mainly based...
, tap-dancing, the jitterbug and other 1940s dances.
The orchestrations call for Double Bass (db. Bass Guitar), Drums (db. Timpani
Timpani
Timpani, or kettledrums, are musical instruments in the percussion family. A type of drum, they consist of a skin called a head stretched over a large bowl traditionally made of copper. They are played by striking the head with a specialized drum stick called a timpani stick or timpani mallet...
, Duck Call, Glockenspiel
Glockenspiel
A glockenspiel is a percussion instrument composed of a set of tuned keys arranged in the fashion of the keyboard of a piano. In this way, it is similar to the xylophone; however, the xylophone's bars are made of wood, while the glockenspiel's are metal plates or tubes, and making it a metallophone...
, Large Gong
Gong
A gong is an East and South East Asian musical percussion instrument that takes the form of a flat metal disc which is hit with a mallet....
, Mark tree
Mark tree
A mark tree is a percussion instrument used primarily for musical colour. It consists of many small chimes – typically cylinders of solid metal approximately 6 mm in diameter – of varying lengths mounted hanging from a bar...
, Triangle and Wood Block), Alto Saxophone (db. Clarinet/ Flute) , Trombone (db. Cowbell), and Trumpet (db. Flugelhorn/ Tambourine).
Subsequent productions
1995 Washington DC and other US productionsAfter a revival at Chicago's Marriott Lincolnshire Theatre in 1994, the musical was revived in 1995 Washington, DC, again at Ford's Theatre. The production received Helen Hayes Awards for (1) Outstanding Director—Resident Musical—David H. Bell; and (2) Outstanding Lead Actor—Resident Musical—Ross Lehman (Ko-Ko). Productions were also nominated for the following awards: (1) 2005 Los Angeles Drama Critics Award: Best Production; (2) 2004 Los Angeles Ovation Award: Best Musical; and (3) 1995 Helen Hayes Award: Outstanding Resident Musical. Bell has directed several other professional productions since 1986, including in his home city of Chicago.
1993 and 2003 regional productions
The original producers staged productions at the Marriott Theatre
Marriott Theatre
The Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire, Illinois, USA is a respected Chicago area regional theatre. Attached to the Marriott Lincolnshire Resort, the theatre produces an average of five musicals each year, presented in the round, as well as productions aimed at younger audiences...
in Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire, Illinois
Lincolnshire is a village in the Vernon Township region of Lake County, in the U.S. state of Illinois. The village is a suburb of Chicago, a city in the adjacent Cook County. Its population was 6,108 at the time of the 2000 census. Lincolnshire was incorporated on August 5, 1957, from the...
in 1993 and again in 2003.
1995 West End production
A production was mounted in London's West End
West End theatre
West End theatre is a popular term for mainstream professional theatre staged in the large theatres of London's 'Theatreland', the West End. Along with New York's Broadway theatre, West End theatre is usually considered to represent the highest level of commercial theatre in the English speaking...
at the Queen's Theatre
Queen's Theatre
The Queen's Theatre is a West End theatre located in Shaftesbury Avenue in the City of Westminster. It opened on 8 October 1907 as a twin to the neighbouring Gielgud Theatre which opened ten months earlier. Both theatres were designed by W.G.R...
in 1995 (after a tryout in Bromley
Bromley
Bromley is a large suburban town in south east London, England and the administrative headquarters of the London Borough of Bromley. It was historically a market town, and prior to 1963 was in the county of Kent and formed the administrative centre of the Municipal Borough of Bromley...
's Churchill Theatre) and ran for three months. It was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best New Musical. The cast included Lawrence Hamilton as the Mikado, Paul Manuel as Nanki-Poo, Ross Lehman as Ko-Ko, Richard Lloyd King as Pooh-Bah, Ben Richards
Ben Richards
Ben Richards is an English actor. He is best known for playing Bruno Milligan in series 4 and 5 of the British TV drama Footballers' Wives and in series 1 and 2 of its spin-off Footballers' Wives: Extra Time...
as Pish-Tush, Neil Couperthwaite as Junior, Paulette Ivory as Yum-Yum, Alison Jiear
Alison Jiear
Alison Jiear is a popular cabaret artist on the London cabaret circuit. Alison was trained at the Queensland Conservatorium of Music, Australia....
as Pitti-Sing, Veronica Hart as Peep-Bo and Sharon Benson as Katisha. Bell directed, and the musical director for the production was Simon Lee, who also supervised the preparation of a cast recording
Cast recording
A cast recording is a recording of a musical that is intended to document the songs as they were performed in the show and experienced by the audience. An original cast recording, as the name implies, features the voices of the show's original cast...
(First Night: CD48). The show received good notices, with Plays International writing, "all the disparate elements come together into a very lively and enjoyable evening."
2006 Watermill Theatre production
Craig Revel Horwood
Craig Revel Horwood
Craig Revel Horwood is an Australian-British dancer, choreographer, and theatre director in the United Kingdom.-Biography:...
directed, and Sarah Travis
Sarah Travis
Sarah Travis is a British orchestrator and musical supervisor for theatre and film. She received the Tony Award for Best Orchestrations and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Orchestrations for the 2005 revival of Stephen Sondheim's Sweeney Todd.-Career:...
music directed, a successful production of Hot Mikado at the Watermill Theatre
Watermill Theatre
The Watermill Theatre is an award -winning, professional repertory theatre with charitable status. It is a converted watermill with gardens beside the River Lambourn, in Bagnor, near Newbury, Berkshire, England...
in England in 2006, which was revived there in 2009, followed by a tour.
2010 regional productions
In 2010, the New Repertory Theatre
New Repertory Theatre
The New Repertory Theatre is a Boston-area Regional theater company based in Watertown, Massachusetts.The New Repertory Theatre " is the third largest theatre in the Greater Boston area. It presents world premieres, contemporary and classic works in intimate settings." The artistic director is...
of Watertown Massachusetts mounted a production, as did Drury Lane Oakbrook Terrace Theatre. International productions have included a long-running Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
staging and a run in Dublin.
Others
Many community groups and high schools have performed the show in the United States, United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia and Canada. International professional productions have included a long-running Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
staging and a run in Dublin.
Roles
- The Mikado, BaritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
- The Big "Cat" of Japan - Nanki-Poo, TenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
- The Son of the Mikado - Yum-Yum, SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
- The Ward of Titipu's Lord High Executioner - Pitti-Sing, Mezzo-SopranoMezzo-sopranoA mezzo-soprano is a type of classical female singing voice whose range lies between the soprano and the contralto singing voices, usually extending from the A below middle C to the A two octaves above...
- Yum-Yum's Sister - Peep-Bo, SopranoSopranoA soprano is a voice type with a vocal range from approximately middle C to "high A" in choral music, or to "soprano C" or higher in operatic music. In four-part chorale style harmony, the soprano takes the highest part, which usually encompasses the melody...
- Yum-Yum's Sister - Pish-Tush, TenorTenorThe tenor is a type of male singing voice and is the highest male voice within the modal register. The typical tenor voice lies between C3, the C one octave below middle C, to the A above middle C in choral music, and up to high C in solo work. The low extreme for tenors is roughly B2...
- The "Coolest" Gentleman of Japan - Ko-Ko, BaritoneBaritoneBaritone is a type of male singing voice that lies between the bass and tenor voices. It is the most common male voice. Originally from the Greek , meaning deep sounding, music for this voice is typically written in the range from the second F below middle C to the F above middle C Baritone (or...
- Lord High Executioner - Pooh-Bah, Bass - Lord High "Everything Else"
- Katisha, ContraltoContraltoContralto is the deepest female classical singing voice, with the lowest tessitura, falling between tenor and mezzo-soprano. It typically ranges between the F below middle C to the second G above middle C , although at the extremes some voices can reach the E below middle C or the second B above...
- Spurned Elderly Suitor of Nanki-Poo - Also 6 gentlemen of Japan and 3 ladies of Japan
Casting is intended to be interracial, with the Mikado, Katisha and Pooh-Bah specifically singing in African-American musical styles.
Musical Numbers
Act I- Overture
- We Are Gentlemen of Japan (the Gentlemen)
- Wand'ring Minstrel (Nanki-Poo, the Gentlemen)
- And the Drums Will Crash (Pooh-Bah, ensemble)
- Behold the Lord High Executioner (Ko-Ko, the Gentlemen)
- I've Got a Little List (Ko-Ko, the Gentlemen)
- Three Little Maids (Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo, Pitti-Sing)
- This Is What I'll Never Do (Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo)
- I Am So Proud (Pooh-Bah, Pish-Tush, Ko-Ko)
- Let the Throng Our Joy Advance (Nanki-Poo, Yum-Yum, ensemble)
- Katisha's Entrance (Katisha)
- For He's Gonna Marry Yum-Yum (Pitti-Sing, ensemble)
- Hour of Gladness (Katisha)
- Finale/Act One (ensemble)
Act II
- Entr'acte
- Braid the Raven Hair (Pish-Tush, ensemble)
- Sun and I (Yum-Yum)
- Swing a Merry Madrigal (Nanki-Poo, Pitti-Sing, Yum-Yum, Pish-Tush)
- Here's a Howdy-Do (Nanki-Poo, Yum-Yum, Ko-Ko)
- Mikado Song (The Mikado, ensemble)
- Alone and Yet Alive (Katisha)
- Tit-Willow (Ko-Ko)
- Beauty in the Bellow (Ko-Ko, Katisha)
- Finale (ensemble)
- Playout
External links
- David Bell's Hot Mikado page
- Soundtrack to Hot Mikado via Amazon
- 2006 Review of Watermill production
- 2002 Review: TheatreMania.com
- 1998 Review: Metroactive Stage
- YouTube video of "Young Man Despair"
- YouTube video of "Three Little Maids" with the West End cast
- Program notes from the 2010 New Repertory Theatre production