The Mikado

Or

The Town of Titpu

"It is consequently my degrading duty to serve this upstart as First Lord of the Treasury, Lord Chief Justice, Commander in Chief, Lord High Admiral, Master of the Buckhounds, Groom of the Back Stairs, Archbishop of Titipu, and Lord Mayor, both acting and elect, all rolled into one."

Creation

Gilbert must have been thinking about the situation with Sullivan when he penned the words "Here's a how-de-do". Sullivan didn't want to write any more music for operettas. Gilbert wrote ominously to Sullivan that under contract, they had to supply Carte with another operetta. Many quarrels commenced. Sullivan thought that his tunes were becoming repetitive. He was finally persuaded to write another operetta, because they made money, and Sullivan liked money. Serious opera did not make as much money as light opera.

Gilbert thought up a libretto. It was a reworking of his favorite "magic lozenge" plot, where someone would swallow a lozenge and become what they had always pretended to be. He had used a version of this plot in The Sorcerer. Sullivan had never liked the "magic lozenge" plot. He said he would only put music to a new plot, with no supernatural elements.

Gilbert thought that he couldn't construct a new plot. He had almost totally exhausted the resource of his Bab Ballads, and didn't believe that he could think up a totally new situation, without supernatural elements, like Sullivan wanted. However, Gilbert agreed to try to think of something anyway. What many people call the supernatural happened anyway, despite Sullivan's wishes.

In one of the suburbs of London, Knightsbridge, a Japanese Exhibition was being held, and people flocked to see it. Japan became the new fad. Gilbert and his wife were two of the many who went to Knightsbridge and saw the Exhibition.

One night, Gilbert was pacing the floor in his study, worrying over the plot problem he was having. All of a sudden he heard a large crash. His heavy tread had dislodged an enormous Japanese executioner's sword that had been hanging above the doorway. He picked up the sword irritably, and instant inspiration hit him. Why not write a Japanese operetta? The borders of reality were large enough, so Sullivan would have his operetta without supernatural elements. The Japanese idea found favor with Sullivan. Gilbert used the cover of the Japanese setting to make fun of British manners, morals, and government.

Gilbert, a stickler for exact details, hired a male Japanese dancer, and a geisha (both who didn't speak more than the words "sixpence please" in English, which was the cost of tea in Knightsbridge) to teach the cast Japanese deportment. Gilbert and Sullivan wanted the acting and sets to be as accurate as possible. The new operetta, called The Mikado opened March 14, 1885 at the Savoy.

Plot Synopsis

The Mikado opens on a chorus of men. "If you want to know who we are, we are gentlemen of Japan" are the first words spoken. In walks Nanki- Poo (Gilbert's love of accuracy wasn't extended to names, as you will see. He just gave the characters names that sounded Japanese to him). After declaring himself as a wandering minstrel, Nanki-Poo inquires after Yum-Yum (see what I mean?). He had met her a couple years ago, the last time he was in Titipu (the town he's in now). They had fallen in love, but she was betrothed to her guardian, Ko-Ko, who was a cheap tailor. A month ago, he heard that Ko-Ko was condemned to death for flirting, and Nanki-Poo was coming in hope of marrying Yum-Yum.

Pish-Tush tells him Ko-Ko was raised to the position of Lord High Executioner. Apparently, the townspeople didn't like the law the Mikado made that says if you flirt you will be executed. They took Ko-Ko, as next to be decapitated, and made him the Lord High Executioner. No one can be executed until Ko-Ko executes himself.

In fact, this very afternoon, Ko-Ko and Yum-Yum are to be married. Nanki-Poo is told this by Poo-Bah (all the officers of state resigned because they didn't want to serve under an ex-tailor, so Poo-Bah now holds all their old positions, from the groom of the second floor front to the Archbishop of Titipu.) Then trumpets are heard, and Ko-Ko approaches. Nanki-Poo leaves, for the moment.

Ko-Ko discusses at length with Poo-Bah how to pay for his wedding out of public funds. Poo-Bah requests a bribe. Ko-Ko says he'll consider it, but his bride approaches with her sisters.

Yum-Yum, with her sisters Peep-Bo and Pitti-Sing are introduced to Pooh-Bah. Then Ko-Ko is introduced to Nanki-Poo. Nanki-Poo declares that he is in love with Yum-Yum. Ko-Ko is "glad to have [his] opinion backed by a competent authority. Good bye, take him away." Nanki-Poo leaves.

Eventually, all depart except for Yum-Yum, and Nanki-Poo visits her. He tells her that he is really the son of the Mikado; he had run away because Katisha, an elderly ugly lady was in love with him. His father had ordered Nanki-Poo to marry Katisha within a week, and Nanki-Poo had fled.

Meanwhile, Ko-Ko gets a letter from the Mikado, saying that no one has been beheaded in Titipu for a year, and to make up for that, someone needs to be beheaded in one month or terrible things will happen. Naturally, Pish-Tush and Poo-Bah think Ko-Ko needs to behead himself, while Ko-Ko would rather behead someone else.

Ko-Ko is about to soliloquize on this subject, when Nanki-Poo walks in, apparently about to hang himself. Ko-Ko realizes this, and offers to behead him instead. Nanki-Poo agrees, if he is will be permitted to marry Yum-Yum for the month before he's beheaded. Ko-Ko can marry her after Nanki-Poo is dead, because she'll be a widow. Ko-Ko reluctantly agrees, and the festivities begin.

Act two opens on Yum-Yum, preparing herself for her marriage. It is revealed how vain she is:

“Yes, I am indeed beautiful! Sometimes I sit and wonder, in my artless Japanese way, why it is that I am so much more attractive than anybody else in the whole world. Can this be vanity? No! Nature is lovely and rejoices in her loveliness. I am a child of Nature, and take after my mother.”

Nanki-Poo and Ko-Ko enter. Ko-Ko has ascertained that by the Mikado's law, when a married man is beheaded, his wife is buried alive. Nanki-Poo can no longer marry Yum-Yum.

The plot thickens when Poo-Bah announces that "the Mikado and his suite are approaching the city, and will be here in ten minutes!" Ko-Ko believes the Mikado is here to see if his orders have been carried out. Nanki-Poo offers to be beheaded, but Ko-Ko can't kill anyone, he's "never even killed a bluebottle". Ko-Ko bribes Poo-Bah to pretend that he's beheaded Nanki-Poo. Nanki-Poo is told to "take Yum-Yum, and marry Yum-Yum, only go away, and never come back again." Nanki-Poo is married, and prepares to leave.

Meanwhile, Ko-Ko tells an extravagant tale about how the victim was killed, and the Mikado listens interested. Then he replies that "this is all very interesting, but we've come about a totally different matter." In fact, they've (the Mikado and Katisha) come for the Mikado's son, Nanki-Poo. Katisha sees Nanki-Poo's name on the death certificate, and they decide to kill Ko-Ko, and his accomplices Poo-Bah and Pitti-Sing after lunch.

Ko-Ko, Poo-Bah, and Pitti-Sing determine that the only way to save their lives is to bring Nanki-Poo back to life. Nanki-Poo cannot come back to life, because now that he's married, Katisha will order him to be beheaded, and Yum-Yum would be buried alive. The only way Nanki-Poo will come back to life is if Ko-Ko persuades Katisha to marry him, over lunch break. Ko-Ko, although disgusted by Katisha, manages to marry her.

Nanki-Poo comes back to life, and all that is left is for Ko-Ko to explain why he said Nanki-Poo was dead.

"You see, Your Majesty, it's like this: When your Majesty says, "let a thing be done," it's as good as done-practically, it is done- because Your Majesty's will is law. Your Majesty says, "Kill a gentleman," and a gentleman is told off to be killed. Consequently, that gentleman is as good as dead-practically, he is dead-and if he is dead, why not say so?"

The Mikado is satisfied with this explanation, and everyone celebrated.

Public Reception