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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0014381930429
Format: Classical, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, NTSC
Label: Image Entertainment
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
Number Of Items: 1
Publisher: Image Entertainment
Region Code: 1
Release Date: January 02, 2002
Running Time: 151 minutes
Sales Rank: 143976
Studio: Image Entertainment
Theatrical Release Date: 1990
Editorial Review:
Description:
Sullivan's ingenious melodic brilliance, derived from his vivid sense of satire, and Gilbert's witty libretto make 'The Mikado' one of the most widely performed of all operettas. The parody of British Victorian life, spiced with the usual topical allusions to English customs and institutions, set in a Japanese Never-Never Land, is performed by The Australian Opera. The lavish production is masterfully conducted by Andrew Greene and beautifully directed by Christopher Renshaw.
Amazon.com:
The Victorian social quirks and the curious attitudes embodied in the work of Gilbert & Sullivan have been safely transplanted to Australia. There have been slight alterations, as this solid production from Sydney shows, but the essentials of this intensely British phenomenon have been preserved and, in some cases, slightly improved.
Diehard fans may be put off slightly by the Australian approach to the Savoy operas, because, in the true spirit of Mad Max and Crocodile Dundee, the Aussies do not imitate all the small details of performance carved in stone by the late, lamented D'Oyly Carte Opera Company, which was long the custodian of G&S traditions. But there is a freshness in this Mikado that does the material full justice, and after a while one becomes accustomed to the novelties. The staging is bright and unconventional, and the choreography and voices are rather better than in most G&S productions, particularly the singing of Heather Begg (Katisha), Anne-Maree McDonald (Yum-Yum), and Gregory Yurisich (Pooh-Bah). --Joe McLellan
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Not so very much fun.
This production from the Sydney Opera House in the late 1980s comes across as dated. This may have to do with the production values which have a bland videotape quality and poor sound reproduction. It may have also had something to do with the cast's ad libbing which made reference to Crocodile Dundee and other things Australian that I knew nothing about. I was also disappointed to see that this production was staged in a Victorian motif so that the characters were costumed in an combination of cartoonish ... Read More
Rating:  - Delight of Absurdity
After librettist William Gilbert made his visit to the "Japanese Village" in Knightsbridge he found the inspiration for The Mikado: he would "Japanise" the English. The play, as G K Chesterton once observed, "I doubt whether there is a single joke in the libretto which fits the Japanese but all the jokes fit the English", is a witty satire to expose institutional absurdities under Japanese disguise.
First a drop curtain with a pastiche of Old Queen Victoria and various advertisements, then open ... Read More
Rating:  - Poor sound, uneven acting hurt Aussie MIKADO
As much as I wanted to like this production of Gilbert & Sullivan's classic opera of Japanese hijinks, this Opera Australia production was marred by both uneven performances and a DVD soundtrack that borders on the poor side.
It's truly a shame as there is much to like in this production. The costumes, a curious mix of British and Japanese styles, are very colorful and fun. The set, with it's almost "Alice in Wonderland" feel, is both majestic and involving. It also boasts some very solid performances ... Read More
Rating: - Is this really what G&S envisioned?
Being brought up on G&S during my youth in England, I was shocked to behold the Opera Australia's production of "The Mikado". I have other dvd recordings of Opera Australia
where I find The Gondoliers and Patience to be quite outstanding.
BUT their version of Mikado is crass, vulgar and cheap.
The scenery and costumes and that unearthly makeup would certainly cause G&S to turn in their graves.
I beg to differ with an earlier reviewer to didnt appreciate the Canadian Stratford version. At ... Read More
Rating: - MIKADO GO HOME!
Ever since Joseph Papp souped-up "Pirates of Penzance" in the 1980's there has been a tendency by directors to treat the Savoy Opera's as if they were decrepit museum pieces that could never rest on their own laurels. While a fresh new approach to any classic can be interesting, I'm afraid this Australian Opera production is so over the top that any charm goes sailing out the window as soon as the curtain goes up. The sound, as already noted by others, is deplorable. Those wanting to see what this classic operetta ... Read More
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