“Then let the throng our joy advance, with laughing song and merry dance.”

—The Full Cast
The Mikado

The Mikado

The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra will present a concert version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, at the Lake Harriet Bandshell, on July 17th and 18th.

When: Saturday, July 17th, 7:30, and
Sunday, July 18th, 5:30
Where: The Lake Harriet Bandshell, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Get Directions

The performance is free and open to the public.  There are benches available directly in front of the stage and lots of lawn seating available in the surrounding area.  Plan to arrive early to get a good spot as our concerts are one of the most popular events of the summer at the Lake Harriet Bandshell.

Synopsis

The Mikado of Japan has decreed that the act of flirting when not married is punishable by death.  Horrified by this prospect, the townsfolk of Titipu appoint Ko-Ko as the Lord High Executioner.  He has been imprisoned for flirting and would be obliged to execute himself before beheading anyone else!  Setting the opera in Japan allowed Gilbert to satirize British politics and institutions more freely by thinly disguising them as Japanese.

The Cast

The cast for this concert production of The Mikado include:

The Mikado Waldyn Benbenek
Nanki Poo Eric Mellum
Pooh Bah Christopher Michela
Pish Tush Jim Ahrens
Ko Ko Matt Dolph
Yum Yum Betsie Feldkamp
Pitti Sing Victoria Valencour
Peep Bo Carmelita Guse
Katisha Lara Trujillo

The Orchestra

The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company has collaborated with Jere Lanz and the Minneapolis Pops Orchestra for many years in presenting a concert version of one of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

The Mikado Show Poster

Show Poster

“A very good house.  I wish I’d been in time for the performance.”

—The Mikado of Japan
The Mikado