The Mikado
(or The Town Of Titipu)
by W.S.Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.
Monday, 13th May to Saturday, 18th May, 2002
The Spadesbourne Suite, Burcot Lane, Bromsgrove.
Cast And Credits
- Stage Director: Roberta Morrell
- Musical Director: Malcolm Procter
- The Mikado Of Japan: Ian G Cox
- Nanki-Poo (his son): J Paul Murdock
- Ko-Ko (Lord High Executioner): Roger Hanke
- Pooh-Bah (Lord High Everything Else): George Brooks
- Pish-Tush (a Nobel Lord): Alan Wagstaff
- Yum Yum (a sister): Sue Troth
- Pitti-Sing (a second sister): Karen Perrey
- Peep-Bo (a third sister): Jan Harvey
- Katisha (An elderly Lady in love with Nanki-Poo): Judith Horton
Synopsis
Nanki-Poo is in love with Yum-yum, butpreferred banishment to an enforced marriage to Katisha, a lady somewhat older than himself. He has become a wandering minstrel and returns to Titipu in disguise only to find his loved one on the eve of her marriage to Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. Nanki-Poo reveals his true identity to her and makes it clear how he would woo her if she were not plighted to Ko-Ko
Ko-Ko has his own problems and has been under sentance of death for flirting! He also learns that he will lose his position if he doesn’t execute someone within a month. Nanki-Poo is persuaded to offer his own head in exchange for a month of connubial bliss with Yum-Yum. Yum-Yum’s ardour for Nanki-Poo is somewhat reduced, however, when she discovers that the wife of a beheaded husband is buried alive!
The feared Mikado arrives with Katisha and Ko-Ko falsley tells the Mikado that the execution has already taken place, as he has been too cowardly to behead anyone. Katisha discloses who Nanki-Poo really was, the heir to the thrown, Ko-Ko has thus beheaded the heir and must therefore die.
Ko-Ko persuades Katisha to accept his hand in marriage, brings Nanki-Poo ‘back to life’, and, of course, as there has to be a happy ending, Nanki-Poo ends up with his beloved Yum-Yum.
Song List
Act 1:
- If You Want To Know Who We Are (Mens Chorus)
- A Wand’ring Minstrel I (Nanki-Poo)
- Our Great Mikado, Virtuos Man (Pish-Tush and Chorus)
- Young Man, Dispair, Likewise Go To (Pooh-Bah with Nanki-Poo and Pish-Tush)
- And I Have Journey’d For A Month (Nanki-Poo and Pooh-Bah)
- Behold the Lord High Executioner (Ko-Ko)
- As Some Day It May Happen (Ko-Ko with Mens Chorus)
- Comes A Train Of Little Ladies (Ladies Chorus)
- Three Little Maids From School (Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo, Pitti-Sing with Ladies Chorus)
- So Please You, Sir, We Much Regret (Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo, Pitti-Sing and Pooh-Bah with Ladies Chorus)
- Were You Not To Ko-Ko Plighted (Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo)
- I Am So Proud (Ko-Ko, Pooh-Bah and Pish-Tush)
- With Aspect Stern And Gloomy Stride (All)
Act 2:
- Braid The Raven Hair (Pitti-Sing with Ladies Chorus)
- The sun, Whose Rays Are All Ablaze (Yum-Yum)
- Brightly Dawns Our Wedding Day (Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, Nanki-Poo and Pish-Tush)
- Here’s A How-De-Do! If I Marry You (Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko)
- Mi-ya-sa-ma, Mi-ya-sa-ma (Chorus, Mikado and Katisha)
- A More Humane Mikado Never Did In Japan Exsist (Mikado and Chorus)
- The Criminal Cried As He Dropped Him Down (Pitti-Sing, Ko-Ko, Pooh-Bah and Chorus)
- See How The Fates Their Gifts Allot (Pitti-Sing, Katisha, Ko-Ko, Pooh-Bah and Mikado)
- The Flowers That Bloom In The Spring (Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko with Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing and Pooh-Bah)
- Alone, And Yet Alive (Katisha)
- On A Tree By A River, A Little Tom-Tit Sang, Willow, Tit-Willow (Ko-Ko)
- There Is Beauty In The Bellow Of A Blast (Katisha and Ko-Ko)
- For He’s Gone And Married Yum-Yum (All)