The Director's Vision:

The Mikado

An Articulated Paper

by Andrew Vorder Bruegge

Outline

Introduction: The Gilbert and Sullivan Tradition

The Gilbert and Sullivan canon offers numerous great shows to perform. Audiences flock to see schools, community theatres, summer theatres, and opera companies in America and England present much-beloved shows like The Pirates of Penzance, Patience, Iolanthe, HMS Pinafore, The Yeomen of the Guard, and The Mikado. Audiences have always loved The Mikado. It remains the most-often recorded of all the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. The D'Oyly Carte company revived it on a regular basis. It spawned several derivative operettas, such as The Hot Mikado, The Swing Mikado, and Memphis Bound. The Mikado has truly become part of our pop culture. It has been incorporated into an episode of Cheers and in films such as Foul Play and Chariots of Fire. One hears people quoting dialogue from The Mikado, such as "Here's a how-de- do!" or "Always putting your oar in!" or "Merely corroborative detail intended to give artistic verisimilitude to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative." Textbooks in the field of voice and articulation cannot resist including the tongue-twisting lyrics of the song "To sit in solemn silence."

Selection Process

My colleagues in the Theatre and Music programs believed The Mikado would be a good choice for our bi-annual musical production. First, its above-mentioned popularity naturally attracted our interest. Second, the score represented an appropriate artistic challenge to students majoring in theatrical, orchestral and vocal performance. Third, we believed we had adequate human, financial and logistical resources to produce a high-quality show.

Dramaturg

The dramaturg, Dr. Sharon Cogdill, has expertise in nineteenth century literature. She brought her research skills, knowledge and love of the material to the production. While the director focused a great deal of attention to the visual aspects of the show, the dramaturg gave scrupulous attention to the text and its context.

First, the dramaturg researched the production history of The Mikado. From this analysis she gleaned information about staging, sight gags and the music. Also, she amassed mountains of information about the Victorian era politics, the topical satire in the script, Victorian social conventions, and Japanese culture. The dramaturg organized much of this material on a web site for the production. This achievement represented a technological innovation for the SCSU Dept. of Theatre and Film Studies. The Mikado became our first production to have a web site.

Second, the dramaturg assumed the role of editor/script doctor. The Gilbert and Sullivan operettas are products of their time and place -- arrogant, anglo and aristocratic. Hence, a consistent sprinkling of racist language pervades the lyrics of The Mikado (and many of the other G&S shows). Moreover, The Mikado glorifies Japanese culture and aesthetics on a superficial level, but the show undercuts this with mockery of things Asian. The dramaturg sanitized the lyrics and dialogue by substituting alternative comic language and jokes for racist jabs. Also, she revised the lyrics of several songs. These revisions substituted contemporary satire for the outdated Victorian humor of W. S. Gilbert. Similarly, the dramaturg changed bits of dialogue here and there. She made these revisions to suit the late-twentieth century student audience.

Once rehearsals began in earnest, the dramaturg quickly assumed the role of an assistant director. She lectured the entire company on background information. She gave individual notes and line reading suggestions to some of the principle performers. Also, she met with some of the performers outside of rehearsal time to give them private coaching. This intensive work helped the performers bring the text (and its satirical humor) to life. Moreover, the dramaturg's focus on textual concerns allowed the director to give more attention to the production as a whole. The dramaturg made an invaluable contribution to the quality of the production.

The dramaturg became a pro-active artistic consultant. She suggested to the director numerous improvements to the staging, and she pointed out many opportunities to add gestures, facial expressions and improvisations to the show. She encouraged the musical director and conductor to add musical improvisations as well. Her suggestions, once implemented, added many comic moments to the performances. With all her recommendations about the staging and music, the dramaturg enriched the zany, hilarious, witty nature of the show.

The dramaturg joined the director and the chairperson of the department in a meeting with the Japan Club, a student organization on campus. She led a discussion with these students about the racially offensive material inherent in The Mikado. She outlined the historical context, and she explained the changes we made in the production to dampen the racist tone of the show. This meeting helped to avoid misunderstanding, destructive protest or accusations of cultural insensitivity. The students in the organization asserted that they did not want to pre-judge the show, and they agreed to come view the production with a genuine spirit of trust.

Textual Analysis: Three-Pronged Dramatic Structure

The Mikado conforms to a structure typical of many of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. This structure resembles an equilateral triangle or a three-legged stool. First, it include an aural component of lush, melodic music. Second, it includes a visual component of a colorful, exotic setting. Third, it includes an intellectual component of a ludicrous, witty, topically satiric story. The Mikado does not necessarily integrate these three components. The Victorian satire, for example, has little connnection to feudal Japan or to the "pop" score and frivolous lyrics. Somehow, these three very disparate theatrical components combine successfully to create beguiling entertainment. This success, I believe, depends upon the equal and complete development of these three components in a production. A three-legged stool can stand up only if all the legs are equal in length and strength. An equilateral triangle exists only because all three sides and all three angles are equal. Hence, I concluded that The Mikado would succeed if we pursued these three components as doggedly as possible.

Textual Analysis: Dynamic of Liberation

The Mikado contains the dynamic of comedy. Scholars such as Northrop Frye and Robert Corrigan speak of the comic spirit as one wherein youth triumphs over their elders and parents, wherein a new order (of love and harmony) surplants an older order (of repression and conflict) and wherein order prevails over chaos. In order to capture this dynamic in this production, I wanted to present a clear transformation of the world of the show. The scene opens on a rather earnest chorus of men proclaiming through song their self-importance. Gradually, comic dialogue, silly lyrics and cartoon-like sight gags undermine the dignified, restrained tone. The women's chorus, for example, brings lighter colors and mischievous antics. Katisha brings overblown, mock-operatic melodrama to the end of the first act. Act Two changes to a more informal, softer, bucolic setting. The plot line grows more ridiculously complex. The characters, such as Ko-Ko, Pitti-Sing and Pooh-Bah, become trapped by their own devilish plans to deceive the Mikado. Finally, the Mikado resolves every complication and conflict. Characters are paired off into wedding couples. Everyone celebrates "with joyous shout and ringing cheer." The traditional convention of a concluding dance provides the final visual confirmation of the inherent comic vision -- that life is worth living.

I viewed this overall transformation of the show's action as a dynamic of liberation. Primarily, the humorous sight gags, anachronisms (lollipops, handkerchieves, yo-yo's in feudal Japan), witticisms, and eccentric characters grew in size and number as the show progressed, until comedy became totally liberated (and dominant). All of the staging and design elements worked toward expressing this dynamic shift from self- importance and earnestnest to frivolity and celebration.

Transformation of Textual Analysis into Theatrical Reality

My colleagues in the Music Department believed that our vocal and instrumental students could successfully bring to life the charming music of The Mikado. My design colleagues in the Department of Theatre joined me in a discussion of options for the visual component. We agreed that the traditional, feudal Japanese setting offered the best design choice for costumes, lighting and scenery. So, we felt confident about two of the three crucial components of the show.

The dramaturg and I studied the text, and we wondered about the currency of the humor, lyrics and dialogue. We suspected that late twentieth-century student audiences would not understand much of the topical humor, so we considered updating the text. Typically, a decision to update a script opens up a Pandora's Box of problems. Mainly, a decision to update usually results in a massive, painstaking, tedious overhaul of the entire script. After weighing the pitfalls against the advantages, we decided to update the text. We felt that revitalizing the comic spirit of the show was worth the effort. The dramaturg took complete responsibility for the thankless task of updating the script, writing new lyrics to several songs and revising dialogue lines. Fortunately, the updating did not lead to major rewriting. With imaginative panache and clever wit, the dramaturg successfully translated the nineteenth century British humor into late twentieth-century St. Cloud State University student humor. The revised text sparkled with contemporary humor, just as Gilbert's words delighted audiences a hundred years ago. Moreover, the dramaturg -- drawing on her research -- persuaded the director, music director and conductor to include in this production many traditional, historically-based sight gags, lazzi, sound gags, and comic improvisations.

Viewpoints Approach to Preparing the Production

Over the past decade, Anne Bogart's "Viewpoints" rehearsal techniques and directorial concepts have invigorated the field of theatrical directing. Historians probably will recognize her as one of the most influential American theatricians of the late twentieth century. I wanted to apply her directing techniques to this production of The Mikado for several reasons. First, I had the opportunity to practice some of her very inspiring "Viewpoints" techniques at a movement workshop several years ago. This experience impressed upon me the exciting, revolutionary nature of her work. Ever since then, I have been eager to find an opportunity to incorporate that material into a directing project. Second, in a review of the literature on and by Anne Bogart, I discovered that no one had used her techniques to prepare a musical theatre production. Our production of The Mikado would serve as an applied research project -- we would use her concepts in new ways.

Anne Bogart has not articulated her "Viewpoints" concepts in any organized, publicized form. Her colleague, Tina Landau, has systematized Bogart's working methods.

Viewpoints are a philosophy of movement translated into a technique for 1) training performers and 2) creating movement on stage. The Viewpoints are the set of names given to certain basic principles of movement. (Bigelow and Smith, 1995)

While Anne Bogart originally conceived of six principles, she has further refined her philosophy to include nine principles. These basic principles are

Even with a very cursory look at these principles, their application to musical theatre becomes apparent. Clearly, music incorporates tempo, duration, repetition, and even gesture. We would explore the connections between physical movement and musical movement. We would explore the possibilities of blending the constantly-moving human form and the lighting with the static "architecture" of the costumes and scenery.

I used "Viewpoints" techniques in the initial phase of the rehearsal process. This work served several purposes. First, I used it to train the student performers to use their bodies to tell the story visually. I had analyzed the text and identified the primary emotional states generated by the story. I asked the cast to physicalize these various emotions, using specific Bogart exercises. These physicalizations evolved into "poses." These poses became our working vocabulary for the show. For example, the students created poses that expressed "rage." I called on the students to use one of their "rage" poses when the text required characters to express that emotion. Once we began the laborious process of staging the show, this vocabulary of "emotion poses" allowed us to construct the shape of the choral numbers very quickly. Second, I used "Viewpoints" to explore the structure of the show. I relied upon one of Bogart's "Source-work" techniques, called "Composition," to bring everyone in the show to a common understanding of the plot. The cast worked in small groups to create five tableaux that told the story of The Mikado. Not only did this exercise build in the cast a communal understanding of the plot, but also it created many interesting visual images that we incorporated directly into the production. For example, the staging of "The Sun, Whose Rays Are All Ablaze" derived directly from one of these tableaux. Third, during this improvisational phase of the rehearsal process, I observed the cast. I noted their creativity, energy, self-awareness, physical abilities, initiative, and so on, as they worked in their groups. This helped me understand what I could expect each student to contribute to the show. For example, I would know whom to entrust with the handling of properties, whom to place prominently and whom to "hide in the crowd" on stage.

Assessment

We must consider how well we implemented the three-pronged strategy of music, visuals and humor. First, our students performed the music of The Mikado triumphantly. The quality of the sound surpassed all our expectations. Second, the costumes, lighting and scenery -- working together with the staging -- presented a gorgeous setting. Third, the audiences responded enthusiastically to all the updated jokes, the wit, the silliness, and the sight gags. Overall, we achieved success with The Mikado through our three-pronged approach to its structure.

The Dynamic of Liberation gave a clear aesthetic shape to the production. During the rehearsal process, I always held this strategy in my head. At any given moment, I could make a decision about choreography, music, staging, lighting, comic business, etc. based on this paradigm. Again, based on the audience response to the show, the decision to build the show on this concept led to popular success.

Bogart's "Viewpoints" techniques worked fairly well. As I had never incorporated her ideas into a musical, the decision to use "Viewpoints" certainly transformed this into a unique theatre experience. I believe we should have spent more time at the beginning of the rehearsal process simply teaching the students about her techniques. We should have given the students more time to grasp her ideas, explore possibilities and firmly plant their physical vocabulary in their minds. Nevertheless, we did see Bogart's ideas emerge in the final product. The students became very adept at engaging their bodies creatively and very expressively. Ultimately, this contributed enormously to the visual texture of the production.

Bibliography

Suggestions, contributions, criticisms, questions? Email the director and author of this page, Andrew Vorder Bruegge (vorder@stcloudstate.edu), or the dramaturg and author of this website, Sharon Cogdill (scogdill@stcloudstate.edu).

To the homepage of this Mikado website.

(c) Copyright Andrew Vorder Bruegge, director for this production and author of this webpage.

Theatre and Film Studies Department
College of Fine Arts and Humanities
St. Cloud State University

This document: http://web.stcloudstate.edu/scogdill/mikado/directornotes.html

Last update: 31 July 1998.