Shelley Harrison Rae North Shore Light Opera Stages Gilbert & Sullivan's The Mikado This year's N o r t h Shore Light O p e r a Society ( N S L O S ) production, The Mikado, directed by D a v i d H i n t o n , tells the story of a y o u n g fellow named N a n k i - P o o w h o has fallen in love with the beautiful Y u m - Y u m . Unfortunately, she is already engaged to be married to K o - K o , the tailor, w h o later becomes the H i g h Executioner of the land. After having considered suicide, a capital offence, N a n k i - P o o faces execution. W i t h one month to live, he is about to fulfill his final wish and realize his dream to wed Y u m - Y u m , when a law is discovered, w h i c h decrees that a condemned man's wife must be buried alive with his corpse! The farcical play takes us on a satirical journey through love, laws, and the death penalty in ancient Japan. A l o n g the way, even those new to The Mikado, w i l l recognize many of the songs from one of Gilbert and Sullivan's most popular operettas. The idea for The Mikado first sprang into W.S. Gilbert's m i n d when an o l d Japanese s w o r d , w h i c h had been hanging on the wall of his study for years, suddenly fell f r o m its place. Gilbert took this as an omen and determined to leave his o w n country alone for a while and turn his biting satire instead towards the East. The Mikado was originally staged at the Savoy Theatre in L o n d o n on M a r c h 14, 1885 and has been performed w o r l d wide, ever since. T h i s year's opening night, M a r c h 10, falls just four days short of its 121st anniversary. "The Mikado has been open to all manor of interpretat i o n , " says M i k a d o ' s director David H i n t o n . A director w i l l often adopt an alternate location or time but H i n t o n is a self-proclaimed " t r a d i t i o n a l i s t " and has kept the story 14 March | April in its original Japanese setting, using fabulous costumes of the Orient. H i n t o n credits the twenty one singing performers for all their hard w o r k , and congratulates the chorus w h o have gelled into their roles even though some of them have been almost " d r o p p e d in the pan and shaken over the fire," as newer recruits. Every G i l b e r t and Sullivan Operetta has a signature " p a t ter s o n g " and the M i k a d o is no exception. T h e audience should listen carefully to pick out some local references amongst the fast-paced lyrics. H i n t o n joined N S L O S , on stage, three years ago but has been involved in theatre since the age of six. The baritone later earned a degree in voice performance at Georgia State University and has made his living through his voice ever since; both in the business w o r l d and on stage. T w o of his most notable positions were with the N e w Orleans Opera C o m p a n y and the Atlanta Symphony, under the direction of Robert Shaw. This season, H i n t o n chose to stay involved in the show from behind the scenes as director and designer. H e has kept the stage set very simple to meet an extraordinary challenge - this year, in addition to performing in their usual home at Presentation H o u s e , N S L O S is performing the third week at the new K a y M e e k Centre for the Performing Arts. The set had to be built to suit both locations and with mobility in m i n d . 1 ij4,ht Opera is very popular and N S L O S regularly performs in front of a full house. Book your tickets early for The Mikado.