Raleigh Little Theatre Preview
By Robert W. McDowell
August 8, 2008

David Bell And Rob Bowman's "Hot Mikado" is a sizzling musical
based on the ever-popular 1885 Gilbert and Sullivan operetta

Raleigh Little Theatre will present Hot Mikado, a sizzling 1986 musical with book and lyrics adapted by David H. Bell and music adapted and arranged by Rob Bowman, on Aug. 8-10, 14-17, 21-24, and 28-31 in its Cantey V. Sutton Theatre. Longtime RLT artistic director Haskell Fitz-Simons will direct the show, which is based on the all-black production of the swing musical Hot Mikado, starring Bill “Bojangles” Robinson. First performed at the 1939-40 New York World’s Fair, Hot Mikado was, in turn, based on the ever-popular 1885 operetta The Mikado by those eminent Victorians, librettist Sir W. S. Gilbert (1836-1911) and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan (1842-1900).

(The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive at Boise State University calls The Mikado: “The most popular Gilbert and Sullivan opera, and arguably the most popular opera ever written. This=2 0opera has delighted audiences for more than a century, and spawned a number of imitations….”)

“When I grew up,” recalls Haskell Fitz-Simons, “I was sort of force-fed Gilbert and Sullivan. Both of my parents were Gilbert and Sullivan people, and each directed at least one production of The Mikado. Twenty years ago, I directed it. Suffice it to say, as a teenager, I was what people call a G-and-S Freak, meaning that I sometimes had multiple recordings of all 13 of the operas. Consequently, I’ve read just about everything I can get my hands on about Gilbert and Sullivan, their collaborations, and the history of their productions. It’s something of an obsession of mine.

Fitz-Simons adds, “Hot Mikado has its roots back in 1939, when it was a fad to do all-black productions. Not only was there Hot Mikado, which started out at the New York World’s Fair and starred Bill Robinson as The Mikado. After the World’s Fair closed, [Hot Mikado] moved to Broadway and was very successful. In fact, it was so successful that a rival company opened another all-black production called The Swing Mikado; and they both were very successful.

“Unfortunately,” says Fitz-Simons, “after [Hot Mikado] closed, nobody thought to archive the arrangements or any of the musical materials. Somehow, they were lost. Then, in [1986], David Bell and Rob Bowman sort of recreated what they thought the music and book might have been like for the Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC. I don’t think this production has ever played Broadway, but it is very popular in ‘the provinces,9 so to speak. It was a big hit in London, and I’ve been bringing it up on an annual basis in RLT play-reading meetings and this year we finally did it. Yay!”

Haskell Fitz-Simons claims, “The original work [i.e., The Mikado] is a masterpiece, and Mr. Bell and Mr. Bowman have really handled it with great fun and musical taste. It’s a jazz redux of the piece, and the music is very challenging and very rewarding to perform as well. In addition, there are some lovely dance pieces that are not in the original, but are entirely appropriate for this milieu. Furthermore, [Messrs. Bell and Bowman] had the good sense to leave the script largely in Mr. Gilbert’s words, just changing things every now and then, and adding a slang zinger every now and then, which is lots of fun. The music, the script, the whole idea is just way fun; and I have always wanted to do it.”

He explains, “Hot Mikado is set, as is the original [Gilbert and Sullivan operetta], in the Japanese town of Titipu. It just happens to be 1940-something. Of course, the original was a satire on English manners as seen through a glass darkly and dress up Japanese. Hot Mikado is sort of double deconstructed in that we’re still talking about Victorian English mores, but the characters are dressed up in Zoot suits in Chinatown in the 1940s.”

When the curtain rises, says Fitz-Simons, “The town of Titipu has recently taken a lowly tailor named Ko-Ko [Tony Hefner] and elevated him to the position of Lord High Executioner -- to counteract a recent law that has come down from The Mikado [Warren Keyes] that all men who are caught flirting will be executed -- put to the axe. Because Ko-Ko is a famous flirt, the men of the town feel safe, because he can’t execute anybody else until he executes himself.”

He adds, “Into this false sense of security wanders a young minstrel, Nanki-Poo [Jason Justice]; and he is actually the son of The Mikado incognito. He is returning to Titipu, because he fell in love with the beautiful young Yum-Yum [Katherine Anderson], only to find that Yum-Yum is marrying Ko-Ko this very afternoon. Ko-Ko gets a letter from The Mikado, saying that unless he executes somebody, the town will be demoted to a village. Everybody will lose their jobs, and everyone will be ruined.

“Nanki-poo offers himself as the sacrifice,” Fitz-Simons explains, “if and only if he is allowed to marry Yum-Yum for a month, an arrangement to which Ko-Ko very reluctantly agrees. There is much rejoicing in the land. Suffice it to say that Katisha [LaDawna Akins], the elderly lady who is pursuing Nanki-poo, shows up; The Mikado makes a surprise visit; and Ko-Ko lies and says he’s executed someone who happens to be The Mikado’s son. So, Ko-Ko is nearly boiled in oil, but is saved by the bell -- and you’ll have to see how. Couples are rearranged, and everybody is happy, happy, happy. There is much rejoicing. Curtain.”

The RLT cast also includes Chad Gilbert as Pooh-Bah, Hazel Edmond as Pitti-Sing, Joy Jennings as Peep-Bo, and James Austin as Pish-Tush. The female ensemble includes Nina Gunnell, Lisa Kinlaw, and Jessica Smith; and the male ensemble includes JaMarl Kearney, Jaret Preston, Jon Karnovsky, Bruc e Mashburn, Michael Murray, and Bobby Rathbone.

In addition to director Haskell Fitz-Simons, the RLT creative team for Hot Mikado includes assistant to the director Amy Wells, choreographer Nancy Rich, musical director Julie Florin, pianist Matthew Barnhill, technical director Jim Zervas, set designer Rick Young, lighting designer Shannon Clark, costume designer Vicki Olson, properties mistress Judy Keyes, sound designer Rick LaBach, and stage manager Deanna Eckert.

Fitz-Simons says, “The set is very handsome, sort of a red, black, and white, art deco, pagoda kind of thing, with neon acce nts. The men are all in multicolored Zoot suits and hats and chains, and the ladies all look like early Andrews Sisters in snoods and rayon dresses of the Forties that drape so beautifully. There’s a lot of eye candy going on.”

He emphasizes, “The words are so important in Gilbert and Sullivan, and they’re kind of tour de forces. Not only do you have to sing them, but you have to be understood. So, we’ve really had to punch up our diction on this show. Because this is a jazz version of The Mikado, dance is a much larger part of the show. You need actors who can sing and dance, maybe even tap a little.

“I would say that probably 90 percent of my cast has never seen Gilbert and Sullivan opera before,” calculates Fitz-Simons, “so there’s a learning curve and a trust curve -- What is this silly stuff about? -- but this has been a great cast and crew, and they’re given 110 percent.”

Director Haskell Fitz-Simons says, “Hot Mikado is way fun. [Triangle theatergoers] are not going to get a chance to see something like this again anytime soon. This is taking an opera and really making it a HOT musical comedy.

Raleigh Little Theatre presents Hot Mikado Friday-Saturday Aug. 8-9, at 8 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 10, at 3 p.m.; Thursday-Saturday Aug. 14-16, 21-23, and 28-30, at 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Aug. 17, 24, and 31, at 3 p.m. in its Cantey V. Sutton Theatre, 301 Pogue St., Raleigh, North Carolina 27607. $18 ($15 students and seniors 62+), except $10 Aug. 10th. 919/821-3111 or etix.com. RALEIGH LITTLE THEATRE: http://raleighlittletheatre.org/performances/08-09/hotmikado.html. THE Hot Mikado (via David H. Bell’s web site): http://www.davidhbell.com/shows/mikado/index.html. The Mikado (courtesy The Gilbert & Sullivan Archive at Boise State University): http://math.boisestate.edu/gas/mikado/html/index.html

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