Society scores a triumph as The Mikado adopts a gangster-style theme
Break with tradition is key to success...
Ian Dempsey Reproduced by permission of the Derbyshire Times
There was all to play for as Matlock Gilbert & Sullivan Society staged The Mikado on the eve of the European soccer championships. It marked the society's first away fixture since being founded in 1992 - all their previous productions having taken place in Matlock. But this time they decided to uproot and travel along the A6 to the neighbouring town of Bakewell. And there was another new development as the society took to the stage at the Medway Centre - for the first time they were accompanied by a live band under the baton of musical director Melanie Gilbert.
Seedy nightclub
In addition to this, producer Nic Wilson dispensed with the traditional Oriental style of The Mikado and set the action in a seedy nightclub, complete with gangsters. The society must have wondered whether all these changes would produce the right result. But they needn't have worried ... so many people turned up they had to delay the kick-off for at least five minutes while extra seating was found to accommodate everyone.
Writing in the programme, society chairman Jos Lowe explained the reasons behind the move out of Matlock: "The facilities at the Medway Centre are so ideal that we could not resist. More convenient accommodation, better stage access and lighting, immeasurably better acoustics - and much more comfort for our audience, both in the foyers and seating."
In keeping with the gangster theme,the costumes were mainly black and white, and there were shades of famous movies such as The Godfather, Bugsy Malone, Guys and Dolls and The Blues Brothers. Even the 101 Dalmatians proved a valuable source of inspiration with Liz McKenzie playing the lovelorn Katisha in the guise of Cruella de Vil - a role she revelled in. Nic Wilson played Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, with great comic flair and enjoyed some memorable exchanges with Katisha. He also found an excellent foil in Ian Clulow as Pooh-Bah, the club 'fixer', bore and Lord High Everything Else! Nic's Little List song of "people we can do without" gave scope for much amusement. Football featured in the shape of England captain David Beckham (that was before his costly penalty miss against France) but it wasn't him, it was Posh who got her marching orders. Others included candidates in the TV show I'm a Celebrity: Get Me Out of Here, various political cronies and tabloid journalists - thankfully, this did not include members of the provincial press!
David Pope was a swaggering presence as The Mikado, the nightclub owner. His character was very much in The Godfather mode - definitely not a man to be trifled with. Max Taylor as The Mikado's son, Nanki-Poo, and his beloved Yum-Yum (Sue Sloan) skilfully captured the contrasting emotions as their fortunes swung from one extreme to another. The youngest member of the cast, 16-year-old Hannah Boron, sparkled as Yum-Yum's younger sister Peep-Bo and delivered some amusing lines with aplomb. As Yum-Yum prepared to marry Nanki-Poo, who was under sentence of death by decapitation, she reminded her that her enjoyment would soon be "cut short". Susan Devaney, playing Yum-Yum's older sister Pitti-Sing, provided rousing support, along with Ken Watson as head barman Pish-Tush and Calum Kinsella as assistant barman Go-To.
The presence of a small orchestra added greatly to the atmosphere, creating just the right ambience. Matlock G&S Society's first away fixture was acclaimed a resounding success by the capacity audience. They couldn't have wished for a better result...