The Gilbert & Sullivan Society of Houston is proud to announce the international debut of:

A Topsy Turvy Mikado

July 19 - 28

Zilkha Hall, Hobby Center

  The Society has commisioned Alistair Donkin, our long-standing Aritstic Director, to produce a new take on The Mikado while keeping the music and songs beloved by generations.  With A Topsy Turvy Mikado, you'll get a look at the show behind the show.

The Show You Know

  The Mikado is one of the most popular G&S operas for good reason.  This comic opera finds both Gilbert and Sullivan at the height of their creative powers, producing songs of soaring beauty and rollicking wit, not to mention ridiculous plotlines and indelible characters.  A Topsy Turvy Mikado keeps all these elements while taking us somewhere new.

Something New

  Prompted by Mike Leigh’s highly successful film, Mr. Donkin has created an entirely new version of The Mikado which takes place during a rehearsal of the original 1885 production by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company. During the course of this rehearsal you will meet the actors who actually created the roles all those years ago - George Grossmith, Rutland Barrington, Durward Lely, Rosina Brandram, Jessie Bond, etc. You will see not only the rehearsal taking place with all the music and dialogue you know, but also gain a flavor of the stress the cast were under at Gilbert’s dictatorial hands!  

  In this production the cast will be challenged even more than in previous productions. In A Topsy Turvy Mikado, they have to create two separate and distinct characters, both the familiar characters from The Mikado as well as the actors who originated those roles.

Surpises In Store

  To be completely authentic, Mr. Donkin has researched the original First Night Libretto with some startling results. Not only are there substantial differences in the dialogue from that known by modern audiences but some of the musical items are not necessarily where you might expect them to be!

Don't Miss It!

   Don’t miss your chance to experience the unique production of a Gilbert & Sullivan favorite, from July 19-28, 2019 in the Hobby Center’s Zilkha Hall. Director Alistair Donkin returns in the lead patter role for his thirty-eighth summer with the Society, under the baton of Viswa Subbaraman.