Townsend Opera Players is bringing sexy back with its modern twist on Gilbert and Sullivan's 127-year-old comic classic "The Mikado," opening tonight at the Gallo Center for the Arts in Modesto.
The Three Little Maids (Elyse Nakajima, Holly Olsson and Laura Jensen) wear miniskirts, high-heel white boots and long hair in hip colors not found in nature. When they sing, it's often accompanied by cheerleader dance moves.
Their presence, along with the numerous nods to modern culture, ranging from cell phones to Segway scooters, make this one of the most fun Townsend shows in recent memory. Teenagers who attended Wednesday's dress rehearsal with me laughed in appreciation at the tributes to modern technology.
Artistic Director Joseph Wiggett made a good choice in setting the show as a conflict between the generations. He has the maids clashing with the old guard, dressed in traditional robes, who in turn don't always see eye to eye with the professional class, dressed in dark business suits (Michelle Bischel is the costumer).
Set designer Eric Broadwater saves TOP money on elaborate sets by suggesting Japan with a few key details — banners showing street signs in Japanese characters and an orange footbridge.
There's no shame that it still feels like community theater, with a female chorus more than double the size of the male chorus, for instance, and a few rough spots in the music. Though the orchestra generally plays smoothly under conductor Ryan Murray's direction, it doesn't always stay in time with the soloists in the speedy patter songs.
The operetta continues to be performed around the world because it pokes fun at problems that never go away: government policies that make no sense and laws that don't work.
Set in the fictional Japanese village of Titipu, the story centers on a tailor who is put on death row for flirting and then is appointed lord high executioner and ordered to cut off his own head or find a substitute. The best and funniest song in the show is "I've Got a Little List," about people who would not be missed if they were killed.
Donn Bradley, who plays the tailor, Ko-Ko, sells the humor in his rendition of the famous number, which is updated for the current times. Those on his list include Sarah Palin, Michelle Bachmann and Fox News. The audience won't miss any of the lyrics because even though the show is sung in English, the words are featured on supertitles above the stage.
The most beautiful singing comes from Kyle Knapp, who plays Nanki Poo, the ruling Mikado's son who is in the village pretending to be a traveling musician. His version of "A Wand'ring Minstrel" is a treat for the ears. Nakajima, who plays his lover, Yum-Yum, also sounds lovely and hits her high notes with ease.
David Cox is a comic highlight as the prideful Pooh-Bah, who can trace his storied ancestry back to a primordial globule. Sara Couden is appropriately prickly as Katisha, Nanki Poo's old and plain former fiancée, and Guillermo Garcia is fittingly sanctimonious as noble lord Pish-Tush. Gregory Stapp shows off a booming bass as the title character.
"The Mikado" is part of TOP's new Opera Remix initiative funded by the James Irvine Foundation to make opera more palatable to a broader audience. After seeing this show, I have one request: More, please!
Bee arts writer Lisa Millegan Renner can be reached at lrenner@modbee.com or (209) 578-2313.
'The Mikado'
RATING:*** ½
WHERE: Rogers Theater, Gallo Center for the Arts, 1000 I St., Modesto
WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today and 2 p.m. Sunday
RUNNING TIME: 2 hours and 45 minutes, including an intermission
TICKETS: $10-$57
INFO: (209) 338-2100 or www.galloarts.org
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