March 7–9 — 7 p.m.

Rodeheaver Auditorium – Seating Chart

“Self decapitation is an extremely difficult, not to say dangerous, thing to attempt.” — Ko-Ko, High Executioner of Titipu

There’s a lot of flirting going on in the town of Titipu, and in an attempt to make his kingdom more virtuous, the Mikado (the Japanese emperor) has decreed flirting a crime punishable by decapitation.

Wanting to avoid a massacre as a result of the new law, the people of Titipu hatch an ingenious scheme: appoint the next offender to be the High Executioner. The result is that the humble tailor Ko-Ko finds himself in the awkward predicament of being responsible to behead himself for his crime.

A Political Satire

The Mikado’s brilliant satire and unforgettable songs poke fun at the British bureaucracy of the late 19th century and their half-baked schemes to solve Great Britain’s social problems. In their most popular operetta of all time, Gilbert & Sullivan also masterfully mock the then-current rage over all things oriental through the use of caricatures like Ko-Ko, Nanki-Poo, and the beautiful schoolgirl Yum-Yum.

The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players

The New York Gilbert & Sullivan Players (NYGSP) will be presenting The Mikado in Rodeheaver Auditorium March 7–9 at 7 p.m. The NYGSP has performed for more than 35 years and is now America’s pre-eminent professional Gilbert & Sullivan repertory company.

This will be the third time the NYGSP has performed at BJU. “During their first two times here, the audience loved the performances,” says Dr. Darren Lawson, dean of the School of Fine Arts and Communication. “I’m confident that their upcoming production of The Mikado will be a huge success.”