‘Mikado’ gets a transplant out of Japan

Both the libretto and (occasionally) the music of Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic operetta “The Mikado” place it in imperial Japan, but there’s no particular reason that has to be followed literally — as with all of the Savoy operettas, the true target of the satire is Victorian England.

Following a controversy earlier this year about the use of yellowface, the company has decided to transfer the setting of the piece to Renaissance Italy, the home of comedy, scientific innovation and Shakespearean romance.

The new production is directed by Ellen Brooks, with musical direction by Baker Peeples.