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The Mikado presents William S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan as their best: the plot is typical Gilbersonian fluff that is nothing short of completely contrived nonsense--but any true Savoyard will that you what's not why you go see a "G&S" show. You go for the tuneful songs filled with wonderful word play and endless intention, not to mention the wicked satire. Of course, more than a century later some of the bite has faded but a good production is still well worth attending. Performance Riverside almost manages to hit the mark with their offering but, in the immortal words of Maxwell Smart, they "missed it by that much!"
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David M. Laffey has the pretty voice and decent dancing ability to play the role of Nanki-Poo and his acting ability and comic timing are up to the role's minimal demands. As Yum Yum Jessie Withers is a fine foil in every way as the leading Soprano. Francisco Rodriguez doesn't quite have the Classical pipes to pull of the part of Pooh-Bah but his acting ability almost makes up for it. If Michael Heimos were any lighter in his loafers as Ko-Ko he'd literally float off the stage but it works for the role. His (or whoever's) updating of "I Have A Little List" wasn't as biting as some I've heard but there were some good swipes at pop culture in there. I found myself enjoying his performance most of all. Travis Lincoln Cox almost got lost under the massive costume, wig and fake beard he had to wear as the Mikado ("ha Mikado") but he came across as surprisingly youthful: still, he did well enough with what little he was given.
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I have a weird complaint regarding Sarah Kreig as the only real villain Katisha. Katisha is characterized through the whole show and Ms. Kreig is anything but ugly! Tall and imposing yes--but hardly ugly by any stretch of the imagination (and quite shapely under that kimono.) Frankly, the gal is hawt! (Please don't kill me Robyn...) Her rich Contralto is up to the requirements of the role and I'd stack her acting ability up against anyone in the cast. One minor quibble: Katisha traditionally is clad in black and red--the costumer chose yellow and orange (to go with the Mikado's robes.) I'm no G&S purist but it annoyed me ever so slightly.
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It wouldn't be a production at the Landis without me to find something to complain about--and this show is no exception. We experienced a new sound problem this time--an echo that made it a bit difficult to hear. In fact a lot of the chorus numbers were so muddy neither I nor the missus could make out the words. I don't know if this is because the chorus is up to the music or if it was due to a bad sound mix: still, a Gilbert and Sullivan show needs to be crisply articulated to be fully appreciated and it was a bit of a mess. The sits were nicely suggestive and the costumes, while a bit simple, worked well enough. I found the band to be a bit "bright" sounding and a bit heavy on the brass: maybe they weren't quite together on a few songs. Still, when I balance the positives and negatives of the show I found myself enjoying the effort. I'm not sure the show is for everybody but we certainly enjoyed it.
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FINAL GRADE: B
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