HOT MIKADO

Education Pack

Contents

Introduction ...... 3 The Musical: a history ...... 4 Famous Musicals: A Selective Chronology ...... 6 Hot Mikado: a history ...... 8 Kabuki ...... 10 Interview with Diego Pitarch ...... 13 Interview with ...... 15 Credits ...... 16

This Education Pack was designed & written by Beth Flintoff, with additional material by Matthew Dewsbury and Nick Hobbes .

Photographs by Robert Day

2

Introduction

This pack has been designed to complement your visit to see Hot Mikado at The Watermill Theatre and on tour.

Most of the pack is aimed at drama students and anyone with an interest in the subjects raised by the play.

While there are some images, the pack has been deliberately kept simple from a graphic point of view so that most pages can easily be photocopied for use in the classroom.

Your feedback is most welcome, please email any comments you have to [email protected].

I hope you find the pack useful.

Beth Flintoff Deputy Outreach Director

The Watermill Theatre , Newbury, Berks RG20 8AE www.watermill.org.uk

3

The Musical: an introduction

Musical theatre in Europe dates The three main components of a back to the theatre of the ancient musical are the music, the lyrics, Greeks, who included music and and the book. The book of a dance in their stage comedies and musical refers to the story of the tragedies in the 5th century BC. show – in effect its spoken (not The Romans introduced technical sung) lines; however, "book" can innovations. also refer to the dialogue and lyrics together, which are sometimes For example, to make the dance referred to (as in opera) as the steps more audible in large open ‘libretto’(Italian for “little book”). The air theatres, Roman actors music and lyrics together form the attached metal chips called score of the musical. "sabilla " to their stage footwear – the first tap shoes. The interpretation of the musical by the creative team heavily By the Middle Ages, theatre in influences the way that the musical Europe consisted mostly of is presented. The creative team travelling minstrels and small includes a director, musical performing troupes of performers director, and usually a singing and offering slapstick choreographer (in this case, Craig comedy. Revel Horwood is both director and choreographer). In the 12th and 13th centuries, religious dramas, such as The Play A musical may be built around four of Herod and The Play of Daniel to six main theme tunes that are taught the liturgy, set to church reprised throughout the show, or chants. Later, ‘Mystery Plays’ were consist of a series of songs not created that told a biblical story in a directly musically related. Spoken sequence of entertaining parts. dialogue is generally interspersed These plays developed into an between musical numbers, autonomous form of musical although the use of "sung dialogue" theatre, with poetic forms or recitative is not unknown, sometimes alternating with the especially in so-called "sung- prose dialogues and liturgical through" musicals such as Les chants. Misérables and Evita .

4

Actor-Musician Musicals

"Actor-musicianship" is the term that's London. Sweeney Todd ran for six- used in the U.K. for a sort of months at the Trafalgar Studios and shorthand. I think it's a multi-skilled then the New Ambassadors Theatre. It way of telling a story — it should opened on Broadway in 2005 with an probably be called "all hands on deck." American cast and won two prestigious . John Doyle, Associate Director, The Watermill Theatre The concept of actor-musician productions has become popular in Actor/musician work (in which the these straightened times, where multi- actors provide the orchestra as well as talented actors save the cost of hiring the singing, acting and dancing) really musicians. began to establish itself at The Watermill from 1998 with Cabaret . The In the last decade actor-musicianship style was pioneered by the director has become a career in its own right, John Doyle and musical director and one of John Doyle’s original Sarah Travis. company at The Watermill, Jeremy Harrison, runs a well-known Actor The work has attracted critical acclaim Musician Degree course at Rose and national awards. Three Bruford Drama College in London. productions have transferred to

Darren Tighe as Nanki-Poo. Photo by Robert Day.

5

Famous Musicals: A Selective Chronology

1728 The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay – a famous early ballad opera

1866 The Black Crook - generally considered to be the first musical. It premiered in New York and was a staggering 5 ½ hrs long, but was extremely popular.

1885 by , one of their popular family-friendly comic operas, on which The Watermill’s production of Hot Mikado is based.

1927 Show Boat – a groundbreaking musical which finally offered a more complete integration of book and score, it was created by Edna Ferber, Oscar Hammerstein, P.G Wodehouse, and Jerome Kern. It influenced hugely the development of the musical.

1935 Porgy and Bess by George Gerwshwin, which had a more operatic style, foreshadowing the more operatic musicals such as West Side Story and Sweeney Todd.

1943 Oklahoma by Rogers and Hammerstein furthered the revolution begiun by Show Boat , tightly integrating plot, songs, character and dance. It famously began with a lone voice singing ‘Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’, instead of the traditional chorus line of dancing girls.

1957 West Side Story , by Leonard Bernstein and with lyrics by the newcomer , ths musical updated to modern day New York City, causing great controversy among audiences.

1959 The Sound of Music by Rogers and Hammerstein opened on broadway, before being made into a film starring Julie Andrews in 1965. It is one of the most popular musicals ever made.

1964 Anyone can Whistle , an early musical by Stephen Sondheim, was a famous flop, despite starring Angela Lansbury

1967 Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical opened off-broadway. Its profanity, nudity, depiction of sexuality and drugs caused huge controversy. It also sparked a trend of ‘rock’ musicals.

1975 A Chorus Line – a musical that grew out of group therapy-style sessions with supporting actors from Broadway. It won the Pulitzer Prize and enjoyed a long run on Broadway.

6

1970s The development of politically themed musicals such as Cabaret (about the rise of Nazism), Chicago (murder and prohibition), Evita (the political biography of Eva Peronin Argentina), led to darker big-budget musicals such as ...

1980 Les Miserables by Boublil and Schonberg, based on the book by Victor Hugo – the longest running West End musical in history.

1989 Miss Saigon , also by Boublil and Schonberg – a modern adaptation of the Puccini Opera Madama Butterfly. The musical is reputed to be inspired by a photograph of a Vietnamese woman leaving her child at the aiport so he can fly to be with his father, an ex-GI.

1989 Buddy – The Buddy Holly Story was the first of the ‘Juke Box’ musicals – where a minimal plot is used to put together a collection of hit songs. Later musicals have been made featuring the music of the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley, and the famously successful Mamma Mia , featuring the music from Abba, which has also been made into a film.

1994 Beauty and the Beast – the first of the stage musicals from a Walt Disney film, it has now played world-wide in 115 cities.

2006 How do you solve a problem like Maria? was the first of the television reality series devoted to finding the next star of a musical, whilst also publicising the show itself. It has since become a popular way for producers to market their productions, with the competition winners becoming stars in their own right.

Darren Tighe as Nanki -Poo and Abiona Omonua as Yum -Yum . Photo by Robert Day.

7

Hot Mikado: a history A brief look at the origins and history of Hot Mikado

The history of Hot Mikado starts back or commercial gain, the Federal in 1885 when Gilbert and Sullivan Theatre Project allowed American produced what would go on to be theatre to enjoy a surprisingly rich perhaps their most famous operetta, period of variety and theatre The Mikado , which cashed in on the innovation, with great or soon to be interest in Japan and the orient then great names such as Orson Welles, sweeping through London. Harold Clurman, Clifford Odets, Marc Blitzstein, Elmer Rice, Robert Fifty years later The Mikado had Sherwood, William Saroyan, and S N become a venerable and highly Behrman all contributing to the effort. popular show on both sides of the Atlantic, with hundreds of productions In 1938, the Chicago arm of the FTP watched by thousands of dedicated produced a version of The Mikado with Gilbert and Sullivan fans virtually every an all black cast called The Swing year. Mikado . Although it was essentially the Gilbert and Sullivan classic, it Information from that now bygone age contained a number of songs that had is sometimes a little hazy and hard to been ‘swung’ or recast into the pin down but, according to one popular, jazzy musical idiom of the account, one such production day. somewhere in the American Mid-West in 1934 was by theatre producer Mike The show was a great success and Todd. When he found that the show before long a Broadway transfer was was losing money and had to close, he in the offing. Aware that he had been salvaged what he could of the scenery the first to stage a jazzed-up version of and costumes, hired a line of dancing The Mikado , Mike Todd offered to girls, jazzed up the show, and trouped produce the Broadway production, but it around various vaudeville houses his offer was turned down as the FTP under the name The Hot Mikado . decided to manage the show themselves. Jazzed up Mikados Four years later and the fall-out from The Rival Mikados the Great Depression was actually Unhappy at his rebuff, Todd decided to providing some benefit for the world of mount his own all new jazzed-up art and theatre. President Franklin D version of The Mikado , also with an Roosevelt had created numerous all-black cast, in which he went further public bodies designed to offer with a sassier, more innovative and opportunities for otherwise jobless folk. more radical updating of the music and One of these was the WPA Federal tone, and with the major draw of Theatre Project, which created low famous tap-dancer and performer Bill paying jobs for theatre professionals to ‘Bojangles’ Robinson in the lead role. offset the hard times and make up for Once again entitled The Hot Mikado , the scarce employment opportunities the show was still set in Japan, and available from the private sector. still featured Gilbert’s British satire, Because it wasn’t focused on financial plus plenty of jokes about the political

8

situation in 1939 Depression-era New revival of The Hot Mikado . However, York. he soon discovered that very little, if any, source material from the original The Swing Mikado opened at the New production still existed and so had to Yorker Theatre on Broadway on 1 re-write the show from scratch, which March 1939 (with Eleanor Roosevelt he did with the help of composer Rob and Mayor La Guardia attending) and Bowman. Like Todd’s version, their ran for 86 performances. Not to be production, set in the 1940s, remained outdone, Todd’s The Hot Mikado true to the original source material, opened across the road at the using Gilbert and Sullivan’s lyrics and Broadhurst Theatre on 23 March 1939 music but updated the style of the and ran for 85 performances. Although music to pay homage to early 1940s most commentators felt that the two jazz legends like Duke Ellington, Cab shows were sufficiently different to be Calloway and the Cotton Club. able to exist side by side, there is little doubt that their rivalry and concurrent Bell and Bowman’s Hot Mikado proximity hurt the profits of both shows opened at Ford’s in the spring of 1986, and neither rose to be as massive a proved a great success and had its run Broadway hit as they might have been. extended. In 1990 it was revived in Chicago, at the , and Despite its extravagant sets by Nat was again a huge success. Ford’s Karson, originally including a 40-foot Theatre revived the production in 1994 soap bubble waterfall and an erupting and in 1995 it crossed the pond and volcano, the 1939 production of The premiered in London’s West End, Hot Mikado remains best known for its where the show was produced by revitalised orchestrations that Ronnie Lee, who had a track record of capitalised on popular early swing jazz transferring American musicals to the sounds of the era. And Todd West End (including Annie Get Your eventually had the last laugh when he Gun and South Pacific ). After opening made a deal for The Hot Mikado to run at Bromley’s Churchill Theatre on 26 at the 1939 New York World Fair, April, the show opened at the Queen’s where the cast of around 150 Theatre, London and received an performed up to four times a day. It Olivier Nomination for Best Musical. ran for a further two years, exceeding 200 performances—quite a feat for the Since then the show has been staged time. repeatedly by various theatre groups all over North America and Europe. The Modern Hot Mikado In 1985 David Bell, Artistic Director of Nick Hobbes the Historic Ford’s Theatre in © John Good Washington DC, decided to stage a

9

Kabuki

Kabuki, a famous Japanese style of creating theatre, has been an important source of inspiration to Director Craig Revel-Horwood and the Designer Diego Pitarch in the creation of Hot Mikado .

The beginnings of Kabuki are usually One of the most distinctive features of dated to the spring of 1603, when a Kabuki is the onnagata , a male actor troupe led by a woman called Izumo who plays the parts of women. From no Okuni first performed on a dry its earliest years, Kabuki had featured riverbed in Kyoto. They performed women dressed as men and men exotic dances and risqué skits which dressed as women. After women were had their roots in a variety of new and banned from the stage in 1629, it popular dances that began to appear became necessary for men to play around the mid-sixteenth century. female roles and the art of the Women entertainers were relatively onnagata developed. To this day, unusual, and Okuni's outlandish, there are no actresses in Kabuki. cross-dressing performances caused a The onnagata does not aim to mimic a sensation. real woman on stage. Rather, he becomes an idealized and artificial During the first decades of Kabuki, symbol of femininity as seen from a many of its performers, both male and man's point of view. As the onnagata female, also worked as prostitutes does not rely upon facial beauty, it is offstage. From the 1620s onwards, the possible for an actor in his sixties or government attempted to bring the seventies to play an innocent teenage theatre and prostitution, which were girl. The greatest onnagata have the considered morally corrupting ability to transform what could be a influences on society, under strict grotesque fiction into an emotionally control. Women performers were moving truth. banned from the Kabuki stage in 1629, and young male prostitutes in 1652. Sakata T ōjūrō (1642-1709) was the first romantic idol of Kabuki, and was In contemporary culture Kabuki has adored by his many female fans. The become a cultural ambassador for comments T ōjūrō left behind on Japan, drawing much admiration on realistic acting reveal that his international tours. techniques were similar to those of today's Hollywood stars. His The Kabuki Acting Style preparations were meticulous, and he suggested that gestures should not be While in Western theatre the practised in advance, rather they playwright or director usually assumes should arise naturally from the the greatest authority, in Kabuki the character's emotions. When learning actor is paramount. Japanese dialogue, he advised: audiences have always celebrated the contributions made by individual actors 'Commit the words to memory during to the tradition, in terms of acting rehearsal and on opening day forget styles or approaches to certain roles. them completely. I listen on stage to what the other actors say to me, and then I remember my lines and speak

10

them. The reason I do this is that when distance of the audience. Kabuki fans we encounter people in daily life, and go to the theatre to see particular perhaps argue or fight with them, we actors, not plays or directors. A cannot use lines prepared in advance. Westerner viewing Kabuki for the first We hear what others have to say, and time may be surprised by shouts from only then are we moved to reply. In the audience of actors' nicknames or acting, I think that everyday life should other comments when their favourite be the model...' star appears on stage or at other climactic moments.

Kabuki Theatres For their part, the actors do not ignore the existence of the audience. The layout of a Kabuki theatre today Humorous ad-libbed asides should be more or less familiar to a sometimes make reference to recent Western audience. There are, fashions or pop stars. Plays are however, some crucial differences to sometimes halted so that an actor can Western theatres. Most noticeable is introduce his young son to the stage the hanamichi , a narrow raised runway for the first time. Most spectacularly, that extends from stage right to the when a famous actor succeeds to a back of the auditorium. Leading actors new name, all the actors line up on make dramatic entrances and exits stage in formal dress and ask the along the hanamichi right through the audience for their continuing support. centre of the audience. The stage conceals a large revolve and several trap lifts that can be used to raise Make-up and Costume actors or even whole sets to dramatic effect. Another difference is the striped Kabuki make-up encompasses a vast main stage curtain. Instead of being range of styles and effects, from the raised or lowered, it is pulled across to realistic to the grandiosely open. exaggerated. The most dramatic make-up is that worn by characters in Today's Kabuki performances last for aragoto ('rough stuff') plays and by around five hours, but in the past they ghosts or demons. Their faces (and ran all day from dawn to dusk. sometimes their bodies) are painted Consequently, theatres contain with bold lines of red, blue or brown. several restaurants and lunchboxes The colours used have symbolic and snacks are sold. You will meanings, for example red is used to frequently see people eating, drinking express strength or virtue, and blue or talking during the performances - usually signals evil. unthinkable to most Western theatregoers. There is still the sense Wigs are worn by all characters in that a Kabuki performance is a social Kabuki, and they too are used to tell event, with the audience enjoying the the audience about the character. A whole day's experience, not just the vast array of wigs representing plays. different hairstyles are used, depending mainly on age, occupation Historically, Kabuki audiences have and social status. Sometimes the wigs had closer relationships with their idols also signal the character's emotional than are usual in Western theatre. In state. For example, at the climactic purely physical terms, the hanamichi moment in some dance plays, female brings the actor to within touching characters suddenly pull on their

11

sidelocks, causing the hair to cascade falling in love with Juliet in down over their shoulders. This Sherwood Forest. represents rage or extreme jealousy. Audiences could be sure that the play would contain an historical section Audiences filled with evil aristocrats, lost heirlooms and innocent princesses; a Before the twentieth century, Kabuki section in a contemporary setting with audiences spent the whole day at the ordinary people as heroes; and a theatre, from dawn until dusk. The dance interlude. In Kabuki today you main part of the day was usually are more likely to see a programme occupied by one multi-act play, in that includes selected scenes from which music and dance had an several plays. However, the basic important role. Rather than inventing structure of history, contemporary and completely new plots, playwrights dance sections remains the same. often took well-known stories and wove them together. Audiences enjoyed seeing familiar characters in From ‘Kabuki Theatre of Japan’ by The Trustees of unlikely juxtapositions, like having The British History Museum

Traditional Kabuki dress Karen Mann as Katisha (Photo by Robert Day)

12

Interview with Diego

Pitarch

Diego Pitarch is a professional theatre instruments. The building is very designer, responsible for the design characterful, the stage is in the thrust and overseeing the making of the set and is invasive of the building itself and costumes for Hot Mikado . and so the main challenge is to try to Matthew Dewsbury, The Watermill’s integrate the design into the building. Casting and Production Assistant, We’ve tried to do this in all of our asked him a few questions about his productions. So, for example, with work. Spend Spend Spend! we transformed the theatre into a pub. We never What made you want to be a pretend we are anywhere else than designer and how did you become where or what the set is. We can then one? transform the space using a few Since I was very young I always liked simple devices, which take some drawing and creating things, so I have planning, for example in Spend we always been a creative person. I had move the bar back and forth and bring an awkward journey towards the bed down. performance design, through one disappointing year of studying This was much harder with Sunset architecture in Spain and then a 3 year Boulevard because the story has a car BA course in Interior Design in Paris. chase and a swimming pool, things Here, I became more interested in that can’t happen in The Watermill. ephemeral design as I found with These problems and the simple interior design the conceptualisation devices we use provide great and creativity was dependent on your intellectual challenges. client’s tastes and ideas. With performance you can base designs By integrating the design into the around a concept as well as character building and embracing the space it developments. So once I had puts the weight of the storytelling firmly graduated I moved to London because with the actors, and with the audience I thought – that’s the place for theatre being so close it makes the – and I went to the Slade to do an MA performance so much more real. The in Theatre Design. I entered the design rarely intrudes or tries too hard Linbury Prize in 2001 and got to the to do the actors job. final, which put me one foot into the industry and allowed me to get lots of So what were your design ideas for contacts. Hot Mikado ? We decided to transform The How do you design for The Watermill into a Kabuki Theatre. Watermill’s unique space? Traditional Japanese Kabuki theatres The Watermill is obviously a tiny are usually wooden structures and The space! So practically the major Watermill being a wooden structure struggle is having a space that allows lended itself to that idea. We wanted to 12 people to dance and play create a contrast between the old

13

world and the new world, between make them work. With the costume a characters like The Mikado and similar process occurs. When I do the Katisha who are very conservative and costume designs I have an idea of stick to the rules and the younger what a character might be and I try to generation who are led by their form that in the look of the costume feelings and instincts. The set is but often the actor might come in to representative of the older rehearsals and the character may conservative world and is based on develop into something very different. very traditional Japanese design. It We do costume fittings, in which these has a very simple structure and the changes can be made. I never have lines and squares on the floor and any designs set in stone and I’m very walls hint at the idea that things are happy to be flexible and change things regimented and regularised. in order to help the storytelling.

And what were the ideas with the This production is also touring. costumes? How do you adapt the design for all With the costumes we did the exact of the venues? opposite so the people that inhabit this I have lots of conversations with space are very much in contrast with Lawrence T Doyle, (Production it. manager) and Richard G. Jones, (Lighting designer) in order to get the We got the inspiration for the technical side of things right. It is costumes from Japanese manga and mainly a practical issue and making anime. We also played with the idea of sure the set can be expanded or traditional Japanese costume, contracted for each venue. The occidental eastern suits and Japanese concept or look of the set itself is Samurai costume. We combined this never changed. with the nature of our cast being particularly international so we could What advice would you give to any play with a mixing pot of cultures as young budding designers? well as traditional Japanese costume. You have to be faithful to your own With the set and the costume we ideas and try to develop a style of your created two opposing worlds, which is own. You should create as much as reflective of the clash between young you can and build a strong portfolio and old in the story. because the hardest part of being a designer is getting that first job. So if Does the design change through you create a portfolio that will define rehearsals? your talent and your personality it Craig, Sarah and I have lots of might trigger a response for someone conversations before rehearsals begin who can see a certain creative to try and pre-empt how we are going compatibility, which might develop into to address all of the issues and a working relationship. Here, Craig, elements of the performance but I try Sarah, Richard and I have worked to be around during rehearsals as together for four years; we enjoy each much as possible. Things always others company, bounce ideas off one come out of performance, which may another and respect each others talent mean I need to adapt some part of the and intelligence. Being a good team set and address those new ideas to player is vitally important.

14

Interview with Sarah Travis

Sarah is the musical supervisor and arranger for Hot Mikado! She has also worked on numerous other productions at The Watermill, including Bubbles, Spend Spend Spend!, Sunset Boulevard, Martin Guerre, Honk!, Sweeney Todd and many more.

Beth Flintoff talked to her before Hot Mikado rehearsals started, when she was working on the score at home.

How would you describe what you and if I’m performing I’ll do it do? anywhere.

I’ m different things at different times! I But when I’m arranging I sit in my am an orchestrator, a musical office at home with the piano upstairs, supervisor, and a pianist. and a keyboard wired into the computer. I use a Scoring Software Where did you train? called Sibelius. From here I can look out onto a garden and I can even do I did a Degree at City University and some weeding if I get bored! then took a Diploma in Composition at The Guildhall School of Music . Also in It’s a very solitary job – I sit alone for 1996 I took a sabbatical and trained to hours. For example, at the moment I’m be a Music Therapist. working at home on Spend Spend Spend ( The Watermill’s previous Where and how do you like to production). It’s very nice when the work? sun is shining, and I enjoy it, even though it’s solitary. Particularly when Sometimes I’m in rehearsal, of course, the shows are fun, like these. and then I do it in the rehearsal room,

15

Credits

Director and Choreographer Musical Supervisor and Arrangements Sarah Travis Designer Diego Pitarch Lighting Designer Richard G Jones Sound Designer Chris Full

CAST Alastair Brookshaw …………………………………………………...Blo Hy Robin Colyer …………………………………………………………...Tip-Tap Neil Ditt ………………………………………………………………....Dit-Sum Lee Drage ………………………………………………………..Len-Goo Man Georgina Field ………………………………………………………...Peep-Bo Jeffrey Harmer …………………………………………………………...Ko-Ko Julian Littman ……………………………………………………….Pooh-Bah Karen Mann …………………………………………………………...... Katisha Melanie Marshall ……………………………………………………...... Mikado Abiona Omonua …………………………………………………….Yum-Yum Kit Orton …………………………………………………………...... Pish-Tush Cassie Pearson ………………………………………………………Pitti-Sing Dominic Tighe ……………………………………………………....Nanki-Poo

Production Manager Lawrence T. Doyle Company Stage Manager Ami-Jayne Steele-Childe Assistant Production Manager Nelly Chauvet Show Musical Director Robert Cousins Company Stage Manager (Tour) Andy Beardmore Deputy Stage Manager Holly Handel Assistant Stage Manager Victoria Horn Sound Operator Matthew McCarthy Lighting Relight Christopher Hirst Carpenter Matt Steele-Childe Wardrobe Debbie Macgregor and Vanessa Hingley Wardrobe Mistress Vanessa Hingley Press and Publicity Tei Williams

16