@ Edinburgh Festival Theatre, Edinburgh, until Sat 4 Jun 2016 (touring)
In the UK at least, Gilbert and Sullivan is so beloved of the amateur scene, that it can be surprisingly difficult for professional companies to compete. Sullivan’s Music and Gilbert’s lyrics stand so well on their own, that over egging the pudding production-wise, can simply be too distracting. Given that amateur companies rarely have the resources for production excess, their success relies on music, text, and enthusiasm alone: this is a Good Thing.
On the other hand, Sullivan’s music is certainly not in any way trivial to perform, and so it is always a treat to hear it performed properly. Scottish Opera, in their new co-production of The Mikado with D’Oyly Carte Opera Company, do appear to have struck a good balance. This is actually a fairly traditional take on Gilbert and Sullivan’s two act comic opera (first performed in 1885) and probably all the better for it. In fact, the overall design, with its stage-within-a-stage and dialed-up japonaiserie, is self-consciously theatrical, as if the whole production is held within quotation marks.
Richard Suart (Ko-Ko), a stalwart of Gilbert and Sullivan, plays his role with ease and finesse, although in the current climate of political unease, the names on his ‘little list’ don’t quite get the laughs they deserve. Unfortunately, the comic timing of the other protagonists isn’t nearly as good, and indeed the acting in general doesn’t always quite match the quality of the singing.
However, the singing is very good and the orchestra are on top form, so at least musically speaking, everything is as it should be. The only caveat, is that the singers don’t always manage to project over the pit: an unfortunate problem, most probably to do with the Festival Theatre acoustic, more than anything else. Nevertheless, it is a shame to have to rely on the English supertitles to fully comprehend what is being sung.
The production as a whole, does lack the sheen and precision that would elevate it to being one that is truly memorable. Despite this, however, it is certainly an extremely worthwhile collaboration between two great companies, and it is nice to see D’Oyly Carte’s unique knowledge being cascaded down in this way.