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A reluctant "The Mikado" attendee is more than surprised

Submitted by Adam Schabow on Thu, 2008-07-24 10:30

2008posterMikado2.jpgOn Friday I received a call from friend and fellow dane101 blogger, Joshua James. The conversation went something like this:

Joshua: "Hey Shabs, what are you doing tonight? I'm going to the High Noon Saloon for some music."

Me: "Sorry, I'm not going to be able to make it. You see, me and Martha have tickets for 'The Mikado' tonight."

Joshua: "BBBWWWAAHHHHH? Me don't understand."

Me: "It's a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta."

Joshua: "Ok, well when it's done, you should try and find your balls and meet me out at the High Noon.

Despite the insults from my hobbit friend Josh, I was looking forward to a night of music and culture with my special lady, but I can not lie, part of me was itching to be somewhere else that night. No, not with Frodo at The High Noon, but rather in a movie theater watching a crazy schizophrenic dress up in a batsuit and beat the hell out of bad guys.

My plan to attend The Dark Knight last Thursday (midnight showing) got squashed the moment I started drinking at the Dane101 Mallards podcast. I should have known better. Instead, I had to wait until Saturday afternoon to see The Joker and The Batman battle it out. It was a test of my patience.

Now that the weekend is over, I can truthfully say that I'm happy I went to "The Mikado" on Friday and I would not have wanted my weekend to have gone any differently. The Madison Savoyards put on one hell of a show, and it was apparent from the level of singing, writing, directing, and music, that this Madison theater company is dead serious about putting on the best show possible for their audience.

Synopsis

Nanki-Poo (James N. Kryshak), a disguised musician and son of The Mikado (Bert Adams), was arranged to marry Katisha (played wonderfully by Kathleen Butitta), but who instead flees to find his real love, Yum Yum (Amanda Compton) who has already committed to marry Ko-Ko (Donavon Armbruster). Devastated by this, Nanki-Poo attempts to commit suicide.

In the meantime, Poo-Bah (Anthhony Ashley) and Ko-Ko, the two town officials, are looking for someone to execute for The Mikado. They all eventually come to a deal to let Nanki-Poo marry Yum Yum for one month and then execute him. It all seems like some Three's Company episode where a scheme is hatched and hilarity ensues.

The Highlights

  • Donavon Armbruster stumbles magnificently around on stage playing the drunken, bumbling head executioner. He was my favorite character/actor of the night and one of the main reasons to go see "The Mikado". Armbruster has the comedic timing that only few can pull off and the audience loved him for it.

  • Kathleen Butitta had a difficult role, demanding us to feel both anger and sympathy towards the character. Her willingness to self-deprecate helped her shine in this role.

  • Despite The Madison Symphony Orchestra being stripped down to a smaller number (I'm assuming to not overpower the singers), first time conductor, Christopher Ocasek lead and charged the musicians with confidence and determination…even with the second trombonist (note: inside Mikado joke). Although, I still think I would have liked to have heard a nice loud percussion section booming along once in awhile.

  • When the curtain rose, I was surprised at how small the stage was, but thanks to scenic designer, Michele M. Fields, every space was utilized perfectly.

  • The director's (Terry Kiss Frank) decision to make it her own and add the little, silly things here or there, even including a reference to The Department of Homeland Security, was a nice touch.

  • Governor Harris was cool. Damn cool.

    • The Disappointments

    • My only major issue was with James N. Kryshak, who was grossly miscast as the romantic lead. Now, one can not deny that his voice is amazing. Seriously, the man can sing, but it just didn't seem like the right role for him to play.

  • No crash cymbals.

    • Other Points

    • I noticed only one prominent misstep in the play. During one of the long, wordy, up-tempo songs, Sarah Z Johnson simply lost her place while singing. Immediately my heart went out to her. She kind of hummed along with the orchestra and jumped back in when she could, handling it all like a champ. As a musician that consistently forgets lyrics, I can attest that this can truly happen to anyone and I hope she doesn't take this too seriously, because I truly enjoyed her performance of Pitti-Sing.

    They have one more weekend of shows left. Hurry, because tickets may not last. After all, now that everyone in the world went to see Batman last weekend, you can all go see "The Mikado" this weekend. All of you. The whole World. Yeah, even you Josh...that is if you're not too busy playing racketball with the curb.

    Music Hall, UW-Madison

    Friday, July 25 7:30pm

    Saturday, July 26 7:30pm

    Sunday, July 27 3:00pm

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    We did excerpts from this

    Submitted by Dar on Thu, 2008-07-24 14:43.

    We did excerpts from this play in college. I didn't like it particularly at the time, but now it reminds me of my orchestra director, who has since passed away.

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