Playwright: Gilbert & Sullivan. At: Lyric Opera of Chicago, 20 N. Wacker. Tickets: 312-332-2244, ext. 5600; www.lyricopera.org; $48-$237 . Runs through: Jan. 21 (in repertory)
I'm not a Gilbert & Sullivan purist. I've enjoyed many G&S updates, among them the Hot Mikado and the Stratford Festival's delightful stagings, but the new Lyric Opera production of The Mikado ain't my cup o' tea. It's too pale a production by half.
The musical values are there; go and enjoy. This is Lyric Opera, after all, and world-class musicianship onstage and in the orchestra pit is to be assumed and praised. The orchestra's woodwind choir—always important in a Sullivan score—was particularly lovely. The voices—when singing—were perfection. Who wouldn't be charmed by Toby Spence's lyric tenor as Nanki-Poo? Or Stephanie Blythe having a ball as Katisha? Or James Morris tossing off the title role?
The problems begin when the voices are not singing. After seeing G&S for 40 years in many different theaters, I've concluded that G&S is far too dialogue-driven for a vast opera house. Even with amplification, it just doesn't work. The slow, deliberate articulation of this production really "takes the top off" much of the humor and sense of spontaneity. This isn't singular to this production, but a general position I've reached. You are welcome to disagree.
Some issues, however, are specific to this staging. Scenic and costume designer Mark Thompson has drained the color from the show. Set it in 1920s Japan? Ok. But why is it pallid pastel 1920s Japan? Thompson's work is rich in pattern—from the schoolgirl uniforms of the first women's chorus to the vast Act II backdrop with its subtle silk floral pattern—but his color range is narrow, with much simple black and white. The exception is Nanki-Poo's harlequinesque trousers (and Toby Spence's hair). As for "vase and jar and screen and fan," forget about it: this is heavily Europeanized, military-rising Japan. The Mikado and his retinue are costumed directly from period military photos. Was I the only one disconcerted by this and by the fascist-deco train station set in Act I?
Director Gary Griffin approved these choices and I wish I knew why. He also decided not to use a choreographer, so there's no dance element in the show, and it's missed. Essentially, Griffin has staged an elaborate concert version of The Mikado. Where's Lyric Opera's corps de ballet? And where are the missing props? Koko's snickersnee (sword) is replaced by Nanki-Poo's little dagger and a sorry substitute it is. And Nanki-Poo's "ballads cut and tied" are nowhere to be seen. The text speaks of many things that aren't there.
The Mikado needs a musical-comedy treatment it doesn't get. Even meticulous musical director Sir Andrew Davis provides a rare miscue in his dreary tempo for "The Flowers that Bloom in the Spring." You'd never know that it can stop the show.
