2008 Woodie Awards
'The Mikado' brings opera to CMU today
By: Justin Berndt
Issue date: 3/28/08 Section: News
The CMU School of Music is putting a modern twist on a classic opera hit.
"The Mikado" is set in late 19th century Japan and involves love triangles, executions and lots of humor, said sophomore Thomas Walkenhorst, who plays the character Pish-Tush.
"It's centered around a minstrel Nanki Poo who is actually the sun of the Mikado, the Emperor of Japan," Walkenhorst said. "There's this new law that has been passed in Japan which is decapitation for everyone who flirts. So everyone is kind of looking out for themselves so that adds a comic aspect of trying to get around all the laws and try not to be decapitated."
Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert's opera "The Mikado" will be performed at 8 p.m. today and Saturday in Staples Family Concert Hall.
However, the school of music's interpretation of the opera will be much different than its original format. The opera is very humor-driven and much of the humor has been modernized, making the show even more entertaining, said Eric Tucker, school of music assistant professor and opera program director.
"Most of the political jokes are political jokes of the late 1800s and so we've updated that which makes it very funny because that's what updates the show," Tucker said. "We talk about the democrats running around counting the delegates, President (George W.) Bush and our legislation in Lansing. All tongue-in-cheek - all in good humor. We don't want to kill anyone here."
Bay City senior Kyle Cozad, who plays Pooh-Bah, said the creativity infused into the show will help this presentation standout from others shows the program has performed.
"The other adaptations we've done in the past are pretty much straight translations of Italian opera, whereas this being recent and Gilbert and Sullivan took things that were of high publicity at the time and incorporated them into the show," Cozad said. "We've just taken theater and rewritten some of the lyrics and changed some of the lines to relate to current political issues or campus issues or school of music personalities."
As for those who have never been to an opera and may be considering one, Tucker said "The Mikado" is the perfect choice to try out the genre.
"It is very clever, very funny British humor. Think of it as a very funny Monty Python and it's all in English. It's not excessively high and it's not excessively low," Tucker said. "It's very attractive and appealing as far as the set, the singers - our romantic leads look believable ... so it's very realistic. There are very few people as good as making fun of themselves and poking fun at situations as the British and so the humor is very funny."
news@cm-life.com
"The Mikado" is set in late 19th century Japan and involves love triangles, executions and lots of humor, said sophomore Thomas Walkenhorst, who plays the character Pish-Tush.
"It's centered around a minstrel Nanki Poo who is actually the sun of the Mikado, the Emperor of Japan," Walkenhorst said. "There's this new law that has been passed in Japan which is decapitation for everyone who flirts. So everyone is kind of looking out for themselves so that adds a comic aspect of trying to get around all the laws and try not to be decapitated."
Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert's opera "The Mikado" will be performed at 8 p.m. today and Saturday in Staples Family Concert Hall.
However, the school of music's interpretation of the opera will be much different than its original format. The opera is very humor-driven and much of the humor has been modernized, making the show even more entertaining, said Eric Tucker, school of music assistant professor and opera program director.
"Most of the political jokes are political jokes of the late 1800s and so we've updated that which makes it very funny because that's what updates the show," Tucker said. "We talk about the democrats running around counting the delegates, President (George W.) Bush and our legislation in Lansing. All tongue-in-cheek - all in good humor. We don't want to kill anyone here."
Bay City senior Kyle Cozad, who plays Pooh-Bah, said the creativity infused into the show will help this presentation standout from others shows the program has performed.
"The other adaptations we've done in the past are pretty much straight translations of Italian opera, whereas this being recent and Gilbert and Sullivan took things that were of high publicity at the time and incorporated them into the show," Cozad said. "We've just taken theater and rewritten some of the lyrics and changed some of the lines to relate to current political issues or campus issues or school of music personalities."
As for those who have never been to an opera and may be considering one, Tucker said "The Mikado" is the perfect choice to try out the genre.
"It is very clever, very funny British humor. Think of it as a very funny Monty Python and it's all in English. It's not excessively high and it's not excessively low," Tucker said. "It's very attractive and appealing as far as the set, the singers - our romantic leads look believable ... so it's very realistic. There are very few people as good as making fun of themselves and poking fun at situations as the British and so the humor is very funny."
news@cm-life.com
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