'''''The Mikado''', or The Town of Titipu'', is a comic Gilbert_and_Sullivan Operetta in two acts. The music is by Sir Arthur Sullivan and the Libretto by W._S._Gilbert. It was first produced in March 1885, in London, where it ran at the Savoy_Theatre for 672 performances. It remains the most performed Savoy_Opera, especially popular with amateur school productions.
It should be noted that the versions of the culture and government of Japan in this work are based on the notions of Victorian_era England on the subject, and are further altered by the satirical tone of the work. Indeed, Victorian England is the target of Gilbert's Satire, thinly disguised as a strange and distant land. (The song "Mi-ya Sa-ma", however, is an actual Japanese song which Sullivan appropriated for the operetta. The same melody was also adapted by Giacomo_Puccini for his opera ''Madama_Butterfly''.)
It is also worth noting that many of the names in the play are unpronounceable in standard Japanese – but perfectly understandable as English "baby-talk". The Headsman is named ''Ko-Ko'' (sometimes also spelled ''Koko''); one pretty young thing is named ''Pitti-Sing''; and the heroine is named ''Yum-Yum''. The pompous officials are ''Pooh-Bah'' and ''Pish-Tush''; and our hero, ''Nanki-Poo'' (which might be baby-talk for "Handkerchief") is fleeing from the awful ''Katisha'' (sometimes also spelled ''Kati-sha'').
Gilbert and Sullivan were considered to be in a bit of a slump at the time they wrote ''The Mikado''. In search of new ideas, Gilbert visited an exhibition of Japanese culture that was in London's Knightsbridge. According to the story, he bought a Japanese Samurai Sword, which he mounted over a doorway. Later, while he was working, the sword's mount broke, and it fell to the ground. Gilbert always claimed that the falling sword inspired him to write ''The Mikado'', a charming comedy about a Japanese Tailor who becomes an Executioner. The creation of ''The Mikado'' is dramatized in the 1999 film, ''Topsy-Turvy''.
The Japanese themselves were ambivalent toward this operetta for many years, not knowing for certain if it was making fun of them (it wasn't) or of the English (it was). In recent years, however, some have apparently come to terms with ''The Mikado'', and have been able to discern quite a bit of satire that unintentionally struck close to home. As a matter of fact, the town of Chichibu, Japan, regularly performs it, having decided that "Titipu" was Gilbert's code name for "Chichibu" (it wasn't, but let that pass). This belief was further cemented by the fact that a 1938 film of ''The Mikado''(Pinewood_Studios) added a prologue featuring a nighttime event, surprisingly similar to the annual Night Festival of Chichibu.
==Controversy==
In the song "As someday it may happen", sung by Ko-Ko in Act I, the character goes through a "little list" of irritations with his society (hence Gilbert's), such as "the Nigger Serenader and the others of his race" (actually a reference to blackface minstrels who were white entertainers in makeup), "the lady novelist" (referring to a particular type of novelist earlier lampooned by George_Eliot) http://www.cygneis.com/woolf/readings/eliot.html, and "the lady from the provinces who dresses like a guy" (where ''guy'' refers to the dummy that was part of Guy_Fawkes_Night celebrations, hence a tasteless woman who dresses like a Scarecrow).
These lines can be taken by modern audiences to have racist/sexist/anti-feminist connotations (sentiments which the sardonic Gilbert would likely have confirmed, if asked), so the song is frequently re-written in modern productions, often taking an opportunity to satirise contemporary trends, political figures, and current events. And, as Ko-Ko himself notes in the play, "It really doesn't matter who you put upon the list, for they'd ''none of 'em'' be missed!"
The line about the minstrel is normally changed to the only slightly less obvious reference, "''banjo'' serenader". Also, the original Mikado's song in Act II contained the words "blacked like a nigger" - words which are usually changed to "painted with vigour" in modern productions.
There are other sections that might also be altered, though they are often left as-is because the reason for changing them is to keep the references relevant rather than to avoid potentially offensive lyrics. One is Pooh-Bah's list of titles (which must be kept largely the same due to future references, but may be added to with modern positions, such as "Secretary of Homeland Defense"). The other is the Mikado's list of punishments and crimes in A More Humane Mikado, which might be made to include modern infractions such as not turning one's cell phone off before entering a theater.
==Characters==
*The Mikado of Japan
*Nanki-Poo, ''His Son, disguised as a wandering minstrel, and in love with Yum-Yum''
*Ko-Ko (sometimes Koko), ''The Lord High Executioner of Titipu''
*Pooh-Bah, ''Lord High Everything Else''
*Pish-Tush, ''A Noble Lord''
*Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, and Peep-Bo, ''Three Sisters, Wards of Ko-Ko''
*Katisha (sometimes Kati-Sha), ''An Elderly lady, in love with Nanki-Poo''
*Chorus of School-Girls, Nobles, Guards, and Coolies
==Setting==
*Act I is set in the Courtyard of Ko-Ko's Official Residence.
*Act II is set in Ko-Ko's Garden.
==Plot==
{{spoiler}}
===Act 1===
Leading gentlemen of the Japanese town of Titipu gather for an impending celebration ("If you want to know who we are"). A wandering musician, Nanki-Poo, enters and introduces himself ("A wandring minstrel I"). He has come to search for the maiden Yum-Yum, with whom he has fallen in love. Alas, the officious official Pooh-Bah informs him that Yum-Yum is to marry her guardian Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner of Titipu. Ko-Ko is actually a local tailor who was made Lord high Executioner due to a fluke in the law. Yum-Yum appears with two of her friends, (sometimes referred to as her "sisters") Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing ("Three little maids from school"). Nanki-Poo reveals his secret to Yum-Yum: he's actually the son and heir of the Mikado, ruler of Japan, but has fled the court due to the amorous advances of Lady Katisha.
Ko-Ko arrives and introduces himself ("I've got a little list") and rejoices in his upcoming marriage. His enthusiasm is cut short by receiving news that the Mikado will soon be arriving for a visit; as Ko-Ko is behind on his quota of executions (never having performed any at all!), this means someone must be executed at once. The others (Pooh-Bah and Pish-Tush, two self-important samurai) look to Ko-Ko himself as the perfect subject ("I am so proud"). Ko-Ko discovers Nanki-Poo, in despair over losing Yum-Yum, is preparing to commit suicide. After realizing that he cannot change Nanki-Poo's mind, Ko-Ko makes a bargain with him: Nanki-Poo may marry Yum-Yum for one month, if at the end of that time he allows himself to be executed. This happy arrangement is nearly spoiled by Katisha, who arrives and tries to claim Nanki-Poo ("Oh fool"). However, she makes such a bad impression on the people of Titipu that her words are drowned out by the shouting of the crowd ("For he's going to marry Yum-Yum"). But though all seems happily settled, Katisha makes it clear that she intends to return.
===Act 2===
Yum-Yum is being prepared by her friends for her wedding ("Braid the raven hair"), after which she is left to muse on her own beauty ("The sun whose rays"). Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum share an affectionate scene, interrupted when Ko-Ko and Pooh-Bah enter, and warn them of a twist in the law that requires the wife of an executed man to be buried alive ("Here's a how-de-do"). Nanki-Poo, threatened with the loss of his beloved, proposes to die on the spot, but when push comes to shove, Ko-Ko is a soft-hearted man who cannot harm even an insect. Ko-Ko instead sends him and Yum-Yum away, promising to send the Mikado news of a fictitious execution.
[[Image:BabMikadoTeeth.jpg|right|frame|
"''His teeth, I've enacted,''
''Shall all be extracted''
''By terrified amateurs.''"
(Cartoon by Gilbert)]] The Mikado and Katisha arrive for the promised visit ("A more humane Mikado"). Ko-Ko, aided by Pitti-Sing and Pooh-Bah, gives a graphic description of the supposed execution ("The criminal cried"), only to be stunned by the news that Nanki-Poo was in fact the Mikado's son! Facing a death sentence himself for executing the Heir Apparent, Ko-Ko pleads with Nanki-Poo to return. Nanki-Poo agrees – on the condition that Katisha is safely married off first... to Ko-Ko, of course. Ko-Ko therefore discovers Katisha mourning her loss ("Alone, and yet alive"), and throws himself on her mercy ("Tit-willow"). He begs her hand in marriage ("There is beauty in the bellow of the blast"). She agrees, and begs mercy for him and his "accomplices" from the Mikado; Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum re-appear, to Katisha's impotent fury; and the inhabitants all celebrate the substitution of marriages for executions ("For he's gone and married Yum-Yum"). There are two ways of interpreting the ending for this story. Either Ko-Ko is assumed to receive the short end of the stick by having married the terrible Katisha, or else Katisha is not as bad as she seems and she and Ko-Ko are truly made for each other. Directors have interpreted this ending both ways with equal success. ==Songs== *Overture (Includes "Mi-ya Sa-ma", "The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze", "There is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast", "Braid the Raven Hair" and "With Aspect Stern and Gloomy Stride") ===Act I=== *1. "If you want to know who we are" (Nanki-Poo and Men) *2. "A Wand'ring Minstrel I" (Nanki-Poo and Men) *3. "Our Great Mikado, virtuous man" (Pish-Tush and Men) *4. "Young man, despair" (Pooh-Bah, Nanki-Poo and Pish-Tush) *4a. "And I have journeyed for a month" (Nanki-Poo and Pooh-Bah) *5. "Behold the Lord High Executioner" (Ko-Ko and Men) *5a. "As some day it may happen" (Ko-Ko and Men) *6. "Comes a train of little ladies" (Girls) *7. "Three little maids from school are we" (Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo, Pitti-Sing, and Girls) *8. "So please you, Sir, we much regret" (Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo, Pitti-Sing, Pooh-Bah, and Girls) *9. "Were you not to Ko-Ko plighted" (Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo) *10. "I am so proud" (Pooh-Bah, Ko-Ko and Pish-Tush) *11. "With aspect stern and gloomy stride" (Ensemble) ===Act II=== *12. "Braid the raven hair" (Pitti-Sing and Girls) *13. "The sun whose rays are all ablaze" (Yum-Yum) *14. "Brightly dawns our wedding day" (Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, Nanki-Poo and Pish-Tush) *15. "Here's a how-de-do" (Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko) *16. "Mi-ya Sa-ma" (Mikado, Katisha, Girls and Men) *17. "A more humane Mikado" (Mikado, Girls and Men) (According to the 1999 film ''Topsy-Turvy'', this song was nearly cut owing to its similarity to Act I's "As someday it may happen") *18. "The criminal cried as he dropped him down" (Ko-ko, Pitti-Sing, Pooh-Bah, Girls and Men) *19. "See how the Fates their gifts allot" (Mikado, Pitti-Sing, Pooh-Bah, Ko-Ko and Katisha) *20. "The flowers that bloom in the spring" (Nanki-Poo, Ko-Ko, Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, and Pooh-Bah) *21. "Alone, and yet alive" (Katisha) *22. "Willow, tit-willow" (Ko-Ko) *23. "There is beauty in the bellow of the blast" (Katisha and Ko-Ko) *24. "For he's gone and married Yum-Yum" (Ensemble) ==Pop culture references== *Allan_Sherman did a parody of the "Tit-willow" song ("On a tree by a river"), in which the bird in question talks and sings with a stereotypical Jewish accent. Sherman is so impressed by the bird's singing that he takes him down from his branch, and home "to mein split-level ranch". His wife misinterprets the gift and fricassees the bird, whose last words are, "Oy! Willow! Titwillow! Willow!" *Sherman also did a variant on "I've Got a Little List", presenting reasons why one might want to seek psychiatric help, and titled "You Need an Analyst". *Eureeka's_Castle, a children's television show, did a parody on "I've Got a Little List" in a Christmas special called, "Just Put it on the List," wherein the twins describe what they'd like for Christmas. *The name of one character has come to stand for anyone with no real authority but who acts otherwise, as in the expression ''The Grand Pooh-Bah'', first introduced in episodes of ''The Flintstones''. *Many well known actors have at some time in their careers played the role of Ko-Ko. Groucho Marx, a life-long fan of Gilbert & Sullivan, starred in a made-for-TV production of the Mikado in 1960. *The_Zodiac_Killer murdered at least seven people in the San Francisco Bay area between 1966 and 1970. He sent letters to police and the media, which often quoted "The Mikado". *The climax of the (1978) film ''Foul_Play'' takes place during a performance of the Mikado. *In the (1981)film ''Chariots_of_Fire'', Harold Abrahams first sees his future wife, as one of the "Three Little Maids from School". ==External link== *The whole operetta online, complete with sound * ''Koko's Korner'': A website dedicated almost entirely to the character of Ko-ko, the Lord high Executioner De:Mikado_(Operette) Mikado, The
"''His teeth, I've enacted,''
''Shall all be extracted''
''By terrified amateurs.''"
(Cartoon by Gilbert)]] The Mikado and Katisha arrive for the promised visit ("A more humane Mikado"). Ko-Ko, aided by Pitti-Sing and Pooh-Bah, gives a graphic description of the supposed execution ("The criminal cried"), only to be stunned by the news that Nanki-Poo was in fact the Mikado's son! Facing a death sentence himself for executing the Heir Apparent, Ko-Ko pleads with Nanki-Poo to return. Nanki-Poo agrees – on the condition that Katisha is safely married off first... to Ko-Ko, of course. Ko-Ko therefore discovers Katisha mourning her loss ("Alone, and yet alive"), and throws himself on her mercy ("Tit-willow"). He begs her hand in marriage ("There is beauty in the bellow of the blast"). She agrees, and begs mercy for him and his "accomplices" from the Mikado; Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum re-appear, to Katisha's impotent fury; and the inhabitants all celebrate the substitution of marriages for executions ("For he's gone and married Yum-Yum"). There are two ways of interpreting the ending for this story. Either Ko-Ko is assumed to receive the short end of the stick by having married the terrible Katisha, or else Katisha is not as bad as she seems and she and Ko-Ko are truly made for each other. Directors have interpreted this ending both ways with equal success. ==Songs== *Overture (Includes "Mi-ya Sa-ma", "The Sun Whose Rays Are All Ablaze", "There is Beauty in the Bellow of the Blast", "Braid the Raven Hair" and "With Aspect Stern and Gloomy Stride") ===Act I=== *1. "If you want to know who we are" (Nanki-Poo and Men) *2. "A Wand'ring Minstrel I" (Nanki-Poo and Men) *3. "Our Great Mikado, virtuous man" (Pish-Tush and Men) *4. "Young man, despair" (Pooh-Bah, Nanki-Poo and Pish-Tush) *4a. "And I have journeyed for a month" (Nanki-Poo and Pooh-Bah) *5. "Behold the Lord High Executioner" (Ko-Ko and Men) *5a. "As some day it may happen" (Ko-Ko and Men) *6. "Comes a train of little ladies" (Girls) *7. "Three little maids from school are we" (Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo, Pitti-Sing, and Girls) *8. "So please you, Sir, we much regret" (Yum-Yum, Peep-Bo, Pitti-Sing, Pooh-Bah, and Girls) *9. "Were you not to Ko-Ko plighted" (Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo) *10. "I am so proud" (Pooh-Bah, Ko-Ko and Pish-Tush) *11. "With aspect stern and gloomy stride" (Ensemble) ===Act II=== *12. "Braid the raven hair" (Pitti-Sing and Girls) *13. "The sun whose rays are all ablaze" (Yum-Yum) *14. "Brightly dawns our wedding day" (Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, Nanki-Poo and Pish-Tush) *15. "Here's a how-de-do" (Yum-Yum, Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko) *16. "Mi-ya Sa-ma" (Mikado, Katisha, Girls and Men) *17. "A more humane Mikado" (Mikado, Girls and Men) (According to the 1999 film ''Topsy-Turvy'', this song was nearly cut owing to its similarity to Act I's "As someday it may happen") *18. "The criminal cried as he dropped him down" (Ko-ko, Pitti-Sing, Pooh-Bah, Girls and Men) *19. "See how the Fates their gifts allot" (Mikado, Pitti-Sing, Pooh-Bah, Ko-Ko and Katisha) *20. "The flowers that bloom in the spring" (Nanki-Poo, Ko-Ko, Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, and Pooh-Bah) *21. "Alone, and yet alive" (Katisha) *22. "Willow, tit-willow" (Ko-Ko) *23. "There is beauty in the bellow of the blast" (Katisha and Ko-Ko) *24. "For he's gone and married Yum-Yum" (Ensemble) ==Pop culture references== *Allan_Sherman did a parody of the "Tit-willow" song ("On a tree by a river"), in which the bird in question talks and sings with a stereotypical Jewish accent. Sherman is so impressed by the bird's singing that he takes him down from his branch, and home "to mein split-level ranch". His wife misinterprets the gift and fricassees the bird, whose last words are, "Oy! Willow! Titwillow! Willow!" *Sherman also did a variant on "I've Got a Little List", presenting reasons why one might want to seek psychiatric help, and titled "You Need an Analyst". *Eureeka's_Castle, a children's television show, did a parody on "I've Got a Little List" in a Christmas special called, "Just Put it on the List," wherein the twins describe what they'd like for Christmas. *The name of one character has come to stand for anyone with no real authority but who acts otherwise, as in the expression ''The Grand Pooh-Bah'', first introduced in episodes of ''The Flintstones''. *Many well known actors have at some time in their careers played the role of Ko-Ko. Groucho Marx, a life-long fan of Gilbert & Sullivan, starred in a made-for-TV production of the Mikado in 1960. *The_Zodiac_Killer murdered at least seven people in the San Francisco Bay area between 1966 and 1970. He sent letters to police and the media, which often quoted "The Mikado". *The climax of the (1978) film ''Foul_Play'' takes place during a performance of the Mikado. *In the (1981)film ''Chariots_of_Fire'', Harold Abrahams first sees his future wife, as one of the "Three Little Maids from School". ==External link== *The whole operetta online, complete with sound * ''Koko's Korner'': A website dedicated almost entirely to the character of Ko-ko, the Lord high Executioner De:Mikado_(Operette) Mikado, The