Product Details

• Actors: Gidon Saks, Henry Ingram, Eric Donkin, Richard McMillan, Allen Stewart-Coates
• Directors: Norman Campbell
• Writers: William S. Gilbert
• Format: Classical, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English (Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo)
• Region: All Regions
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: Acorn Media
• DVD Release Date: February 8, 2000
• Run Time: 150 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (41 customer reviews)
• ASIN: 1569383464
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #23,091 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• For more information about "Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Donkin, Saks, Stratford Festival" visit the Internet Movie Database (IMDb)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

A video of a 1982 performance at Canada's Stratford Festival (live, though with some singing dubbed), this is very much a theatrical experience, with the buoyancy of a show played before an audience. The cast and spectators take obvious pleasure in each other, and in classic Gilbert and Sullivan tradition, several numbers are encored. Subtlety is not this production's strong point, but you don't look to G&S for subtlety. As Ko-Ko, Eric Donkin doesn't exactly create a character. His performance is that of a vaudeville clown--he even wears a Japanese version of baggy pants. But his straight-to-the-audience delivery is irresistible. Gidon Saks plays the title role in Japanese-theater style, drawing out his syllables, rising to a scream at the end of a sentence. Though these mannerisms are a bit much, his demented tyrant of a Mikado is gripping and even spooky.

The production is not lavish, with a single, unadorned set and fairly basic staging. But there are some brilliant effects such as the entrance of the Mikado, enclosed in a litter, which his carriers open to reveal him standing magnificently in a miniature interior. Many of the comic lines have been updated, and with impressive wit. It's too bad that their topicality results in a lot of 1980s Canadian references, which will leave 21st-century non-Canadians feeling left out. Still, this is a highly satisfying interpretation of a classic. --David Olivenbaum

From the Back Cover

Described by critics as "scintillating," "exquisite," and "breathtaking," this version of the famous comic opera was a blockbuster hit at the world-renowned Stratford Festival. Cloaked in the guise of a Japanese musical drama, The Mikado is a spoof of Victorian English society. Centered on Ko-Ko (Eric Donkin), a lowly tailor, it chronicles his transformation from prisoner in a country jail to the rank of Lord Executioner. But Ko-Ko is plagued by a terrible quandary: the emperor (Gidon Saks) has instructed him to produce a head - or forfeit his own!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

40 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Stratford gives a fun-filled and energetic MIKADO, June 30, 2003

By 

Hazen B Markoe (St. Paul, MN United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado / Donkin, Saks, Stratford Festival (DVD)

While some Gilbert & Sullivan devotees may quibble with this Canadian version of their masterpiece, THE MIKADO, there's no denying this version's infectious energy and fun. This production by the Stratford Festival is awash with high-jinks antics, solid acting and a boldness rarely seen since the Kevin Kline/Linda Ronstadt version of THE PIRATES OF PENZANCE. Director Brian Macdonald directs this production with a sure hand and a fine sense of humor. Eric Donkin makes for a solid and delightfully uptight Ko-Ko, while the tall and very lanky Richard McMillan steals the show as the self important Pooh-Bah. Marie Baron's Yum-Yum is a pure delight, and Karen Wood is a delightful Pitti-Sing. Gidon Saks makes for a rather hammy, but delightfully fierce, Mikado. Henry Ingram seems a little old for the youthful Nanki-Poo, but he definitely gets into the spirit of this wonderfully broad production. Some fans may not appreciate the "modern" Canadian references nor the very slight liberties in the score, but this is probably the one production that doesn't treat the immortal work like a museum piece. This is definitely the best version on DVD to date and one that I would definitely recommend.

49 of 51 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The only Mikado on video worth watching!, January 16, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado (Stratford Festival) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

This is the version done at the Stratford Festival in the late 80s with Eric Donkin and Marie Baron. The staging is very sparse, but quite well done. This new version is not as high quality as the earlier (more expensive) version, but well worth the $17. Purists beware -- some of the songs have been gutted and the lyrics have been changed!

41 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoroughly entertaining!, September 17, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Gilbert & Sullivan - The Mikado (Stratford Festival) [VHS] (VHS Tape)

My wife and I really enjoy G&S - not aficionados, just fans. The Stratford Festival's version of "The Mikado" was wonderful. While we are relatively new to the works of G&S, this production was by far the best we've seen. The Canadian "flare" in "They'll None of 'Em Be Missed" brought back many, many fond memories of the times we've spent in Canada and of our first exposure to "The Mikado" in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Stratford's cast will live forever in their lively and thoroughly entertaining "Mikado." We look forward to many more enjoyable evenings listening to and watching the banter between Ko-Ko and Pooh-Bah. Thanks to Stratford (and AMAZON.COM) we're anxiously awaiting delivery of "The Pirates of Penzance" and "Iolanthe." G&S lives! Tom & Carol Weber Chesterfield, MO, USA