'Mikado' pokes fun at authority
Play review
By Cary Ginell Soundthink@aol.com

BRITISH WIT- PoohBah (Steve Perren, center) reprimands PittiSing (Melora Hutton, left), Yum-Yum (Megan Crockett, on the floor) and Peep-Bo (Rebecca Pillsbury, right) in "The Mikado," playing through Sunday at the Theatre on the Hill, Thousand Oaks.

The Ventura County Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company continues its run of classic Gilbert and Sullivan works with "The Mikado," probably the most famous and certainly the most often performed of the duo's comic operas. Originally staged in 1885, As with all of their works, "The Mikado" pokes fun at authority figures, male/female relationships and social institutions in Britain during the Victorian age.

Gilbert and Sullivan set the opera in Japan, making certain that the costumes, the settings, and the actors' movements were as authentic as possible. But the similarities stopped there, with the dialogue, songs and humor typifying the wry British wit and language of all of G&S's other works.

The characters' names are meant to sound Japanese, when in actuality they are merely English baby talk. One such name, Pooh-Bah, has since entered the lexicon to describe any pompous official who holds a variety of offices.

Repertory regular Steve Perren plays Pooh-Bah, who holds so many offices he's called the Lord High Everything Else. He's in this exalted position only because nobody else wants to serve Ko-Ko the Lord High Executioner, a former tailor condemned to death for flirting. Unless Ko-Ko can come up with someone to behead in the next month, he has to behead himself, something that is admittedly quite difficult to do.

As Ko-Ko, Gary Saxer steals the show. His mugging, leering and quirky dancing, especially in the patter song "Here's a How-De-Do," bring to mind the late Groucho Marx, who himself played Ko-Ko in a 1960 made-for-television production.

Karen Sonnenschein plays Katisha, the elderly spinster with "a caricature for a face," who is spurned by everyone she meets except Ko-Ko, who woos her to get out of certain death. Sonnenschein is Margaret Dumont to Saxer's Groucho, and the scenes with the two of them together are preciously funny.

Brightening every production she's in is Megan Crockett, who makes for a delectable Yum-Yum, as vivacious as Katisha is plain, but as vacuous as every G&S heroine. Crockett's sweet soprano and Sonnenschein's operatic alto are easily the best voices in the show, but one shouldn't forget Melora Hutton. As PittiSing, Hutton displays a melodic sweetness, as highlighted in her solo, "Braid the Raven Hair," which leads off Act II.

As with many G&S operas, the best moments are the patter songs and the ensemble numbers. Even better are the patter ensemble numbers, especially "I Am So Proud," featuring the three stalwart males of the company, Saxer, Perren and John Pillsbury (Pish-Tush).

And if you've never seen four people in Japanese kimonos perform an English madrigal, then you must hear "Brightly Dawns," featuring Pillsbury, Crockett, Hutton, and Francis Cabison as Yum-Yum's young suitor, Nanki-Poo.

One can't see this show without marveling at the colorful and luxuriant costumes created by Bianca Jansen (who does doubleduty by acting in the Ladies Ensemble). Since the repertory company began in 2006, Jansen has been utilizing the costumes she designed for its premiere production, "Sullivan and Gilbert," in which segments from many of the team's operas were featured. The work Jansen did for that show enabled her to create a costume closet that would support the company for years to come.

Kudos also go to scenic artist Bonnie LongHemsath for her exquisite handpainted Japanese garden set used in Act II. The fourpiece "orchestra" belied its small size and was ably conducted, as always, by Zach Spencer.

This "Mikado" proves to be an exemplary and faithful performance of a timelessly entertaining work. I would urge everyone to go see the show.

Performances are staged through Sun., March 16 at the Theatre on the Hill at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts, 403 W. Hillcrest Drive, Thousand Oaks. For times and prices, visit the website at www.vcgsrc.com.