Drury Lane's 'Hot Mikado' full of sizzling swing
You might think that Gilbert and Sullivan purists would be horrified at "Hot Mikado," a jazzy 1940s-style updating of the British duo's endearing 1885 operetta "The Mikado." But any true "Mikado" fan will see that the original brilliance of Gilbert and Sullivan gets to shine anew in Drury Lane Oak Brook's superlative and sizzling "Hot Mikado."
It was back in 1987 when multiple Jeff Award-winning director/choreographer David H. Bell first teamed up with musical adapter and arranger Rob Bowman to cook up their "Hot Mikado," which was inspired by two competing 1939 Broadway jazz versions.
Bell and Bowman retrofitted much of Gilbert and Sullivan's "Japanese" operetta with bouncy 20th century jazz, gospel and swing arrangements. Paired with the original's zany plot featuring a disguised prince, a trio of marriageable school girls and a cheap tailor who wily escapes an impending death sentence for the crime of flirting, it's no wonder that Bell and Bowman's "Hot Mikado" has been a musical comedy hit around the world.
Chicago-area audiences previously got to experience Bell's version in 1994 at the Marriott Theatre in Lincolnshire. Bell grandly seizes this subsequent chance to revisit his rousing hit as director and choreographer of Drury Lane's new "Hot Mikado" in a gorgeous proscenium staging.
Bell also brings along a few invaluable "Hot Mikado" veterans to impress the crowds.
Tony Award-nominee Ted Louis Levy certainly lives up to the "Hot" of the title emperor as he pounds out percussive tap dances that dazzle with speed and dexterity. Levy's professional ties to late tap masters Sammy Davis, Jr. and Gregory Hines only enhance the feeling that you're watching a living legacy of American tap dancing.
Susan Moniz is another "Hot Mikado" veteran. As Pitti-Sing, Moniz launches some impressive vocal melisma meows as she daringly spars with the towering torch singing of Aurelia Williams' romantically blunt and bloodthirsty villainess Katisha.
With Devin Desantis and Summer Naomi Smart, we have a dreamily sung and danced romantic couple of Nanki-Poo and Yum-Yum. Both know how to turn on the comic charm while playing up their slinky sex appeal.
There's no denying that Stephen Schellhardt's Lord High Executioner Ko-Ko is a comic scream, particularly as he squirms his way from one awkward farcical situation to another in his baggy suit and oversize glasses. Yet there was a degree of apparent effort on Schellhardt's part that didn't fully emerge organically. The same can be said of Todd M. Kryger's pompous Pooh-Bah, the bribe-friendly multi-public official who still seemed to be working out the best comic delivery to his lines on opening night.
But these are just minor quibbles. Schellhardt, Kryger and the great tap dancer Andy Lupp as Pish-Tish can execute Bell's physical staging with style and skill - particularly as they try to trick each other into accepting an execution order in the rondo number "I Am So Proud."
Designer Marcus Stephens instantly clues "Hot Mikado" audiences that they're in for a rollicking good time with his sleek art deco Japanese bridge set flanked with oversize fans (one of which reveals the swinging jazz orchestra led by pianist/conductor Jeremy Kahn). Music Director Michael Mahler also sweetens the sound by using a trio of band singers to augment the choreographically amazing ensemble on stage.
Costume designer Jeremy W. Floyd fills the stage with a colorful array of zoot suits and other 1940s period outfits with subtle Japanese flourishes. Jesse Klug's lighting designs also fit each shifting mood and song styling to a tee.
The "Hot Mikado" is a rare example of a solid piece of 19th century fluff that not only survives, but ultimately thrives when all spiffed up with a shiny new American jazz sheen. This show is not only a must for Gilbert and Sullivan fans, but for all lovers of silly and carefree musical comedy.
<p class="factboxheadblack">"Hot Mikado"</p>
<p class="News">Three and a half stars</p>
<p class="News"><b>Location: </b>Drury Lane Oak Brook, 100 Drury Lane, Oakbrook Terrace, (630) 530-8300 or drurylaneoakbrook.com</p>
<p class="News"><b>Showtimes:</b> 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 1:30 and 8 p.m. Thursdays, 8:30 p.m. Fridays, 5 and 8:30 p.m. Saturdays, 2 and 6 p.m. Sundays through Oct. 3</p>
<p class="News"><b>Running time:</b> About two hours and 40 minutes with intermission </p>
<p class="News"><b>Tickets:</b> $29-$38</p>
<p class="News"><b>Parking: </b>Free adjacent parking garage</p>
<p class="News"><b>Rating:</b> For general audiences, though some parents may take issue with one gag</p>