Actors of the young maidens dancing and swirling their umbrellas (top left)
as the actors playing the role of Yum-Yum and Nanki-Poo (bottom right)
were falling in love.  Other main actors Pish-Tush and Ko-ko are also shown (top right).
  All actors are showing off their colorful attire and strong voices.
The Lion's Roar / Tiffany Nesbit

One of the many versions of the opera “The Mikado” was reenacted by university students. The opera was performed at the Columbia Theatre in downtown Hammond this past Thursday and Friday at 7:30 p.m. and was directed by guest stage director Rachel Harris and musical director and conductor Charles Effler. The opera was enhanced by a live orchestra. 

“The Mikado” is a story about two young lovers Nanki-Poo  proposal given to Nanki-Poo by the Emperor of Japan, Mikado. As the story goes on, the two lovers eventually find loopholes in the law and live happily ever after. 

Although the story of “The Mikado” takes place in Japan, this version of the opera used American political humor as its main attraction. Jokes involving our political leaders, or possibly, current political leaders like Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton, were tastefully thrown into the story. Other American humor about popular celebrities was also used. 

“I absolutely loved it,” said junior social work major Michaelynn Parks. “I loved all of the political jokes that were thrown into the play. I loved how the actors portrayed American politics rather than Japanese; it definitely caught me off guard.”

Some felt that the actors’ chemistry between each other was most recognizable and that the characters’ personalities looked natural during the performance. 

“It is amazing and ecstatic,” said senior history major Sahag Hovagimian. “The actors are playing out their roles and have great chemistry between each other. Specifically, I love the chemistry and how everything is flowing together perfectly in the play. It is something you don’t get to see much around here.” 

Some of the actors felt that this opera was a huge success. 

“It was a great amount of fun,” said actor Nanki-Poo and senior music major Benjamin Vollentine. “I had a good time. It is becoming a standard role of mine to play a romantic character. Everyone on cast is so talented and the energy between us all is so perfect. I think that is a big reason why the play came out so original and was a huge success.”

Others felt that the opera was a good mix of today’s modern culture and the culture of when the opera was first written.  

“The costumes were a great example of mixing modern and old culture, the music and the humor were all a good mix,” said the actor Pish-Tush and junior music major Terelle Bibbins. “The opera was a great success, I think, because of that. This version was a lot of fun because of the mix of modern culture.” 

The audience of “The Mikado” gave a standing ovation as the curtains fell for its final close.