BWW Reviews: THE MIKADO, Charing Cross Theatre, December 2 2014

It looks gorgeous: Art Deco calligraphy; girls in dropped waist dresses with Louise Brooks hairdos under cloche hats; The Mikado himself in full fig, medals gleaming. Set designer Philip Lindley and costume designer Jonathan Lipman have done director Thom Sutherland proud - but can the production live up to its looks?

Relocated to the Titipu Umbrella and Fan Factory, all the old favourites are there and instantly recognisable. Hugh Osborne frets as Ko-Ko (and delivers a razor-sharp "List"); Matthew Crowe is all innocent good-nature as the lovelorn Nanki-Poo; and Steve Watts' Pooh-Bah is as oily and obseqious as ever whilst extracting his "insults" in ready cash.

But it's the women who really shine in the factory. Leigh Coggins' Yum-Yum is deliciously full of fun and she gets excellent support from Cassandra McCowan's sexy flirt, Pitti-Sing. But the late entrance of Rebecca Caine as Katisha - a kind of Goth Stevie Nicks - steals the show even from Mark Heenehan's absurd Mikado. Katisha's plaintive lament "Alone and yet alive" beautifully transforms her character and is given full value by Ms Caine, whose only flaw is her hopeless inability to be ugly!

But the strength of the female voices (singing without amplification in a long, narrow theatre) tends to highlight the relatively under-powered male singing, which made me wonder about reception towards the back of the stalls. And while two grand pianos at the front of the stage look fabulous, as the sole source of such familiar melodies, I couldn't help mentally fleshing out their tinklings with strings, brass etc giving back some of the grandeur to Arthur Sullivan's magnificent music.

So - can the production live up to its looks? A qualified yes, would be my answer. There's the wit, the songs, the glamour - and the sheer bonhomie that runs through Gilbert and Sullivan's most performed work - but there's also the feeling that the balance between a pared down boutique opera and a full-on extravaganza isn't quite worked through. That said, if you have seen half a dozen or more Mikados, this one will give you something different and if you haven't seen half a dozen Mikados, this is a great place to start.

Photo S Rylander

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