Winter 2024 Newsletter

The town of Titipu welcomes its newest residents, Abby Kurth, Sabrina Lopez, and Alexandra Imbrosci-Viera, to The Mikado ensemble. Returning in their roles are David Macaluso as Sullivan and Ko-Ko, Matthew Wages as Richard D'Oyly Carte and Pooh-Bah, David Auxier as author Gilbert and Pish-Tush, John Charles McLaughlin as Nanki-Poo, and David Wannen in the title role.

Our reimagined Mikado, with an original prologue by Director and Choreographer David Auxier, is framed within Gilbert’s imagination, creating a fantastical portrait of Victorians in a dream world that is inspired by the Japanese culture that had captivated England at the time of The Mikado’s creation. Costume Designer Quinto Ott’s garments reflect this larger-than-life reverie, placing us firmly in the land of a Titipu that never was.

Our cast is positively buzzing with excitement to share this special show with you, whether you’re viewing it for the first time, or returning to an old favorite. Sullivan’s soaring melodies and Gilbert’s biting wit will be at the ready to herald the new year with joyous shout and ringing cheer!

I’ve asked the cast to share a few of their favorite things and some of the challenges of The Mikado, as they prepare to dazzle NYC audiences this January.

Unmodified Rapture: What is a favorite moment of yours in the show or what moment are you most excited to play and why?

Rebecca L. Hargrove (Yum-Yum)

My favorite moment of the show is the Act II Madrigal. It's such a solemn, yet hopeful piece and I think it's some of the most beautiful music in the show. 

Matthew Wages (Pooh-Bah)

My favorite moment from the show is Pooh-Bah’s solo in the Act One Finale. I jokingly call this Pooh-Bah’s Credenza. It reflects him to perfection, being very ornamental and oh-so-too-much. I believe it’s the only musical moment like this for a male character in all of G&S. What I’m most excited to play, is a series of moments starting with the receipt of the Mikado’s letter prefacing “I am so proud.” The stakes begin to rise in his story, and by the time the Mikado starts to arrive in Act 2, the stakes grow and grow until Pooh-Bah and his cohorts are sentenced to an excruciating death.

 Hannah Holmes (Katisha)

I'm very excited to be debuting the role of Katisha! As we rehearse, I'm still discovering many wonderful moments in the character's journey, but a strong contender for my favorite comes during the Act I finale. We are introduced to Katisha as a shrill, impetuous and power-hungry woman, but we soon see a different side of her. The mini aria “The Hour of Gladness" is the first crack we see in her tough exterior, and I love playing the contrast between Katisha's hard shell and her heartbroken interior self. This moment is also an example of Sullivan's glorious vocal writing, and it's really fun to sing! 

Here's a Howdy-Do: What is one of the most challenging parts of performing your role?

Rebecca L. Hargrove (Yum-Yum)

The most challenging part of the role of Yum-Yum, outside of being vocally fit, is being physically fit to run around the stage in our heavy costumes. Our bustles and corsets alone have to weigh the costume down an extra 5-10lbs. During one show on tour in 2020, the cage of my bustle got caught on the bench in the scene before The Kissing Duet. I had to wiggle and worm my way out of it before the end of the song. Thank goodness for our amazing Nanki-Poo, John Charles McLaughlin, who sneakily released me in enough time.  

Matthew Wages (Pooh-Bah)

The most challenging part of the show for me is the Wedding Planning scene with Ko-Ko, where Pooh-Bah adopts avant-garde voices and attitudes for each of his positions, as he is Lord High Everything Else. There are a total of 20 in the show, the majority happening in this scene. The most vocally challenging thing is the Quintet in Act 2, “See how their fates…” For some reason, Sullivan wrote Pooh-Bah as having the “tenor” line.  It calls for more finesse and tighter blends.

 Hannah Holmes (Katisha)

The biggest challenge of this role is walking the fine line between relatable character and over the top caricature - Katisha may have a “caricature of a face", but she is not a mere caricature onstage - she is written to be extreme, but she also has rich emotional depth, and I enjoy working to find the balance between the two. 

Did you know?

The Mikado’s aria was almost cut from the show! The night before it premiered, the cast protested and strongly supported the reinstatement of his song “A More Humane Mikado.” Come see why this number has delighted and amused for hundreds of years since. Merrily singing “let the punishment fit the crime,” NYGASP’s Executive Director David Wannen truly does it justice.

When Yum-Yum tells Nanki-Poo that she does not love Ko-Ko, his reply as originally written was simply “Rapture!" In rehearsal, the actor playing Nanki-Poo delivered the word “Rapture!" too strongly for Gilbert's liking, prompting Gilbert to call out, “Modified rapture" (meaning “take it down a notch"). The actor responded, “Modified rapture!" and Gilbert liked it and added “modified" to the script.

Rutland Barrington, the original Pooh-Bah, liked to throw ad-libs into performances. Gilbert usually objected, but occasionally he liked one of Barrington's ideas and added it to the script. An example is when the Mikado tells Ko-Ko, Pitti-Sing, and Pooh-Bah that their executions will take place after luncheon, and Pooh-Bah replies, “I don't want any lunch." 

We hope you’ll join us at the Kaye Playhouse January 6-14 for what is sure to be a sparkling, memorable production of The Mikado! For more behind-the-scenes content, be sure to check out our special pre-show event on January 13th: NYGASP’s Family Overture. Artistic Director Albert Bergeret leads a fun musical introduction and plot summary for the whole family to enjoy, featuring interviews with the cast as well. The event is free for all ticket holders and is held prior to curtain at 12:45 in the theatre on Saturday, January 13. CLICK HERE for tickets!

Don’t miss The Sorcerer when it reappears this spring, happily coupled with Trial By Jury April 6-7. Three performances only! Or catch us on tour with The Pirates of Penzance, playing in New Mexico, Arizona, and California this March. We also have several bookings for our intrepid sextet of performers tackling Pirates in one act followed by a second act of G&S favorites including our tour-de-force audience requests section!