by Patrick Astill
The witty lyrics of a light opera from more than a century ago often need a little updating to ring true with the modern audience of today.
And a couple of excerpts from this production made the evening worthwhile.
It was a little disappointing that as a "semi-staged" production, there was no scenery, no costumes and precious little movement on stage.
The voices of the vast chorus were also a little muffled to those of us who didn't know the masterpiece inside out.
Granted, many members of the audience had most likely seen the show before and many were singing along, tapping their feet or laughing at the plot and the performance.
A manic Richard Suart as Ko-Ko stood out from the crowd, while sour-faced Jill Pert did a great job as Katisha, who she's played before.
The re-writing of Ko-Ko's "little list" brought a mesmerising updated version of people and events that won't be missed, and his dilemmas throughout the show were brilliantly expressed.
Alistair McGowan, in something of a cameo as the Mikado, hit the spot with a re-worked version of his own role, with some carefully chosen asides to the audience and a topical slant on his lyrics (in which he fortunately claims responsibility for the groaners among his gags).
So, as most of the audience already knew, Nanki-Poo, the Mikado's estranged son, disguised as a minstrel, falls in love with Yum-Yum in the town of Titipu. But she's already due to marry Ko-Ko, and they enlist the help of Pooh-Bah, the Lord High Everything Else, to solve the situation.
The second act was stolen by Richard Suart, Jill Pert and McGowan, and we left with the words and music ringing in our ears.
First published in the Nottingham Evening Post.
