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Description:
The Victorian social quirks and the curious attitudes embodied in the work of Gilbert & Sullivan have been safely transplanted to Australia. There have been slight alterations, as this solid production from Sydney shows, but the essentials of this intensely British phenomenon have been preserved and, in some cases, slightly improved. Diehard fans may be put off slightly by the Australian approach to the Savoy operas, because, in the true spirit of Mad Max and Crocodile Dundee, the Aussies do not imitate all the small details of performance carved in stone by the late, lamented D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which was long the custodian of G&S traditions. But there is a freshness in this Mikado that does the material full justice, and after a while one becomes accustomed to the novelties. The staging is bright and unconventional, and the choreography and voices are rather better than in most G&S productions, particularly the singing of Heather Begg (Katisha), Anne-Maree McDonald (Yum-Yum), and Gregory Yurisich (Pooh-Bah). --Joe McLellan
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