Gilbert and Sullivan given Asian authenticity
Groups using Victorian operetta to embrace Japanese art, culture
“The Mikado” has become a touchy subject for some in recent times, but Central Florida Vocal Arts and Opera del Sol have embraced the classic Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta, perhaps best known for “Three Little Maids from School Are We.”
“We thought we could do this in a way that is inclusive of the Asian American community here,” says Theresa Smith-Levin, executive director of the presenting organizations.
To that end, the groups are using the satirical work to celebrate Japanese art and culture. With an Asian American director and performers, outreach from the Orange County Regional History Center, a lobby display of art by Masami Koshikawa and traditional taiko drumming, the production is awash in authenticity.
And that’s before the decision was made to have the production’s supertitles not only in English, but Japanese as well.
“You can’t just put that in Google Translate … ” says creative director Nicole Dupre.
“Because we tried,” interjects Smith-Levin.
Instead, a Japanese speaker edited and translated W.S. Gilbert’s Victorian-era words — all 1,200 slides’ worth.
“It was very important to us to bring in Asian heritage,” says Dupre.
Why the concern? Written in 1885, Gilbert and Sullivan used the work to satirize British politics, social mores and institutions of the time. Setting their operetta in a nonsensical version of Japan gave them more artistic freedom — and a way to fool the censors of the time.
But to a modern audience, some of the content can read as stereotypically racist if the butt of the jokes seem to be the mockJapanese characters themselves. Last fall, multiple University of Central Florida students expressed their displeasure with the college’s production of “Hot Mikado,” a jazzy version of the same story.
Dupre and Smith-Levin ex
cised parts of the libretto they felt would send the wrong message. And with director Kit Cleto, they also worked to highlight the show’s emphasis on fighting undeserved power and obsolete tradition.
Empowered women became a theme of the production — including making the title character, typically male, a woman. Japanese American opera singer Arisa Kusumi will play the Mikado, or empress.
Cleto, a Filipino American making his directorial debut, says he is sensitive to any cultural concerns.
“As an Asian American in the arts, there are very few shows that have any [Asian] representation — great or not,” he says. “I’ve played Mexican; I’ve played Indian; I’ve worn a blond wig; I’ve worn a red wig.”
He has also found inspiration in contemporary musicals. Those “three little maids”? Not quite as demure as you might expect. “I definitely based it on the Schuyler sisters,” says Cleto, referring to the strong female characters in “Hamilton.” “You will see that influence.”
Also in the cast are Tamir Hernandez, a soprano who won acclaim as Maria in Theatre West End’s “West Side Story,” and Susan Neves, a Metropolitan Opera regular. “You don’t just hear her voice, you feel her voice,” Cleto says of Neves. The Space Coast Symphony, directed by Aaron Collins, provides the music.
Adding to the artistry are authentic kimonos, many from Dupre’s Japanese stepmother.
“Half of the costumes we’re using are from my family,” she says. “I think we’ve found a way to preserve the music and celebrate the culture.”