The Mikado, Or The Town of Titipu (version 2)
W. S. Gilbert
Read by LibriVox Volunteers
In the town of Titipu, flirting is punishable by death on the command of the Mikado himself! But what happens when the Lord High Executioner is himself condemned to die? And what secret does the wandering minstrel Nanki-Poo hide, that the Mikado and his entire entourage come to witness his execution?
"The Mikado" premiered in 1885, when it broke all records for the longest-running musical. It remains arguably the most popular of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas. Occasionally described as "English ladies with knitting needles in their hair", Gilbert disguised his criticism of British politics by the (ostensibly) Japanese setting. The universal themes of love and death have kept this opera in constant production for over 125 years.
The Mikado of Japan: Alan Mapstone
Nanki-Poo: Tomas Peter
Ko-Ko, Lord High Executioner: RussellEric
Pooh-Bah, Lord High Everything Else: Peter Yearsley
Pish-Tush: ToddHW
Yum-Yum: Availle
Pitti-Sing: Beth Thomas
Peep-Bo: Esther ben Simonides
Katisha: TJ Burns
Chorus: Adele de Pignerolles, Chuck Williamson, DrPGould, Rachel,
Stage Directions read by: Kathrine Engan
Audio Edited by: Devorah Allen
- Summary by Beth Thomas (1 hr 33 min)