The Well-Tempered Ear

Classical music: Director Melanie Cain explains why she staged Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” as “anime” for the Madison Savoyards. It opens this FRIDAY (NOT Thursday) night.

ALERT: A reminder that tonight’s Concert on the Square, at 7 p.m., will feature cellist Karl Lavine (below), the principal cello of the Madison Symphony Orchestra and the Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. The classical program includes “Espana” (Spain) by Emmanuel Chabrier; the “Rococo Suite” by Andre Gretry; and the famous “Bolero” by Maurice Ravel.

Here is a link to more information about the concert, the food and the event:

http://www.wcoconcerts.org/performances/concerts-on-the-square-4/

By Jacob Stockinger

This Friday night at 7:30 p.m. in Music Hall on the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus, at the foot of Bascom Hill, the Madison Savoyards will open its seven performances of the latest annual summer production of Gilbert and Sullivan.

The selection this year is one of the most popular of the G&S works: “The Mikado.”

But it has a twist.

Director Melanie Cain, more familiar from Fresco Opera Theatre, has chosen to do the production in an anime (or animation) aesthetic.

The music director is Blake Walter (below), who teaches at Edgewood College.

Here are notes from the Madison Savoyards website:

The 2015 summer production is The Mikado in Music Hall. Tickets are now on sale. Performance dates: Friday and Saturday, July 17 and 18 at 7:30 p.m.; Sunday, July 19, at 3 p.m.; Thursday,  Friday, and Saturday, July 23, 24 and 25 at 7:30 p.m.; and Sunday, July 26 at 3 p.m.

Melanie Cain is the Stage Director, Blake Walter is Music Director, Steven Nibbe is the Production Coordinator, and Christina Kay is the Publicity Coordinator. Details about the cast at this link …

Blake Walter, Music Director for “The Mikado” and Melanie Cain, Stage Director for “The Mikado,” introduce themselves and and their approach to the production.

NEW: There will be a Children’s Pre-show on July 19 at 1 p.m. This year’s production of “The Mikado” with an Anime aesthetic is the perfect way to introduce your little ones to the brilliance and whimsy of Gilbert and Sullivan.

The event will include a craft, tea and snacks, a mini-show explaining the plot through select dialogue and musical highlights, and a backstage tour. After being a part of the pre-show, children will be prepared to see the full production at 3 p.m. with excitement and engagement!

There will be a break between the pre-show and the performance from 2-3 p.m. This show is wonderful for children, grandchildren or friends who are ages 6-12. Advance reservations required. One child gets in free with a child and adult ticket for “The Mikado” matinee. Reserve via email to: krys.lonsdale@gmail.com

For more information, go to:

http://www.madisonsavoyards.org

Stage Director Melanie Cain recently agreed to an email Q&A with The Ear:

Can you briefly introduce yourself to the readers and explain your musical and theatrical qualifications to direct The Mikado?

Here is a link to my bio: http://www.mavenvocalarts.com/about.html

What draws you to Gilbert and Sullivan (below)? Have you staged their works before or worked on G&S productions?

Although I have sung in G&S productions, this is the first Gilbert and Sullivan show I have staged.

Why does “The Mikado” endure as one of the most popular and most performed G&S operettas? Is it the music? The exotic setting? The story and its moral lesson?

I think “The Mikado” has endured because it’s strong in all the elements G&S are known for; comedy, fantastic characters and very catchy music.

Why are you recasting the production from traditional Japanese to contemporary “anime”?

Japanese culture, at the time The Mikado was written, was all the rage in England. Depictions of Japan were seen through the art coming out of the region. Vases, fans and jars illustrated elements such as beautiful gardens and traditionally dressed figures.

These traditional images have become stereotypes of the culture. In some cases, creating a feeling that the images are disrespecting the culture instead of revering it.

It was not Gilbert and Sullivan’s intention to take a jab at Japan, but rather to depict a fanciful view of the culture in order to satirize British politics and institutions.

The Mikado has seen some backlash in recent years for using the traditional staging. For this “Mikado,” I decided to use a current art form rising out of Japan — Anime or Manga. (Below are two versions of the famous “Three Little Maids Are We” characters in the operetta. You can hear the song they sing in a YouTube video at the bottom.)

Celebrating Japan’s current popular artistic export while retaining the musical integrity of the work was a way for me to praise the culture much the way Gilbert and Sullivan were trying to do in 1885.

I revere the traditional staging of opera, but I do love to change things around and offer both the seasoned opera fan and new fans a modern take on the classics.

What kind of unusual details can the public expect to see in an “Anime” concept production of “The Mikado”?

As I was investigating Anime, I realized there are many traditional Japanese elements interwoven with modern or even futuristic looking styles.  The set and props for this production will be quite traditional, while the costumes will have that very stylized anime look — wild colored hair and bright costumes.