Comparing Gilbert And Sullivan's 'The Mikado'

During the late 1800’s in England, two composers by the name of W.S Gilbert, and Arthur Sullivan composed a comic opera by the name of “The Mikado.” The opera was an instant hit. The show ran for 672 performances at the Savoy Theatre in London. It was also performed at countless other theatres all over England. “The Mikado” is a comic opera that was written to poke fun at various aspects of British culture. Gilbert and Sullivan executed this by setting the opera in a fictitious Japanese town. In the time that the opera was originally performed, Japan was seen as very foreign and mystic. Not much was know much about the distant land and therefore it was a perfect setting to use. The show got many of its laughs from over-playing the few
stereotypes that were known about Japan at the time. This includes exaggerated dress, funny sounding names, and caked-on makeup. Since then, a lot of time has passed. Gilbert and Sullivan have gone down in history, and achieved an ongoing legacy. Their operas are still performed to this day. There are even societies that are dedicated solely to persevering and sharing their history by continuing to study and perform their operas. One of these said societies, the Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society, put on a performance of “The Mikado” back in 2014 that became very controversial. The company that put the show on stayed true to history and performed it as it would have been in the 1800’s. However, this meant still using the exaggerated stereotypes. This action caused an outrage in numerous people. Many wrote articles and complaints calling the opera blatantly racist. The fact of whether or not the opera should be performed is still debated today. While I can understand why some may perceive the show as racist and call for a stop, I believe that the opera it is a part of history and should be allowed to be performed freely. From an outside perspective, it’s obvious that “The Mikado” could come off as racist. All of the Japanese characters are played by Caucasian actors. Seattle Times writer, Sharon Chan described it as, “yellowface, in your face”. Yellowface is a derogatory term that means a white person portraying an Asian person. In day-to-day life this isn’t an acceptable thing, but you have to keep in mind that this is an opera! The whole point of plays, musicals, and operas are to portray someone that you are not. “Opera itself is about nothing but stereotypes. The person making the yellowface claim, Sharon Chan, has failed to understand that dressing up as someone else is a vital part of operas. Each time someone sees a show, they need to take in to account the performance context. Indulge yourself in the plot and really ask yourself what’s the meaning of it. To me, a large reason of why this show struck such outrage in people is over-sensitivity. In today’s age it seems like everyone is so quick to get offended. If anything seems remotely offensive, so-called “social justice warriors” become up in arms and demand justice. They ignore the facts and only point out what helps their case. This is what happened in many of the cases of people shaming “The Mikado.” It seemed as if none of them realized, “The Mikado’s over-the-top japonaiserie is used to spoof only Brits, and not Japanese people” (Guilford). Another key vital to understanding why “The Mikado” should be allowed to be performed freely is historical context. If this play were written in today’s era, it would be a whole other story. The thing is that it wasn’t. It was written over a 130 years ago, and the world 130 years ago was a very different place. When Gilbert wrote this he didn’t have any prejudices against the Japanese at all. “He is well-known for aiming some pretty sharp satire at British institutions while avoiding censorship by setting his pieces in far-off places so that audiences would still get the point but could also pretend it wasn’t about them” (Storie and Ma). So the only reason he used the Japanese setting was to avoid obvious mockery of the British. And the reason the stereotypes were so embellished was because it was a comedy. No matter what culture, race, or nation was used to write the show, the characteristics of it were going to be made silly. Andrew Crowther put it excellently in his blog when he said, “however the opera may appear today, it was not written with any racist intent.” One of my favorite parts about theatre as a whole is artistic expression.
It gives people a chance to express what they believe in, how they feel, or any other subject they choose. For this reason, I believe “The Mikado” should be allowed to continue to be performed without censorship. In Gwynn Guilford’s article titled, “It’s time to stop using ‘exoticism’ as an excuse for opera’s racism”, it mentions replacing traditional aspects of the costume and adding articles such as tennis shoes and wigs. To me this is censoring the artistic expression of Gilbert and Sullivan. While I don’t agree with that idea in the article, I do agree with a different one. Guilford suggests having programs that are more history-heavy. I think that is a step in the right direction that would inform more people of the meaning behind what they see. Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Mikado” still goes down in history as one of the most performed comic operas ever made. The reason that is, is because it is truly an excellent opera. It combines humor, drama, and cultural satire (on the British) perfectly. I believe people need to look past their initial perception and realize that “The Mikado” is not actually racist at all. It is a historical landmark that needs to continue to be honored and
preserved.