Topsy Turvy 2011

The backstage world of the Savoy Theatre in the early 1880s hums with tension and ambition as a new chapter unfolds around the Savoy operas. On the opening night of Princess Ida in January 1884, the ailing composer Sir Arthur Sullivan, weakened by kidney disease, barely reaches the stage to conduct before slipping away to the continent for rest. In his absence, the summer heat and dwindling audiences gnaw at ticket sales, and producer Richard D’Oyly Carte turns to the team of Sullivan and dramatist W. S. Gilbert to conjure a fresh work for the Savoy. When Ida closes without a ready successor, Carte revives an earlier Gilbert and Sullivan collaboration, The Sorcerer, to keep the house lively.

The stage itself becomes a proving ground for creative friction. Gilbert pitches a transformative magic lozenge as the centerpiece of the next operatic venture, but Sullivan balks, finding the idea mechanical and too dependent on supernatural devices—especially at a time when the British musical establishment presses for music with more weight and realism. Sullivan longs for something “probable” and centered on human beings rather than tricks of magic, while Gilbert, convinced of the libretto’s merit, resists rewriting. The stalemate stretches as the summer wears on, until a turning point arrives after Gilbert and his wife attend a popular exhibition of Japanese arts and crafts in Knightsbridge. When a katana sword jolts from a wall in Gilbert’s study, the spark of inspiration hits: a libretto set in exotic Japan. Sullivan, recognizing the seed of a fresh direction, agrees to compose the score.

The trio—Gilbert, Sullivan, and Carte—begins shaping The Mikado, and the production captures a vivid portrait of backstage life. The cast negotiates salaries over lunch, while Gilbert secures additional performers from the exhibition to guide the ladies’ chorus in walking and using fans in a distinctly Japanese style. Costume fittings bustle under the eye of designer C. Wilhelm, and the ensemble grapples with the demands of the new setting as fittings and rehearsals proceed. A point of contention arises over a cut to the title character’s Act Two solo, “A more humane Mikado,” which the cast successfully persuades Gilbert to restore. The mood shifts from cautious experimentation to momentum as the show comes together.

Behind the scenes, nerves run high as first-night jitters take hold in dressing rooms. Gilbert, ever the nervous one, finds himself pacing the streets rather than watching the premiere. Yet when he returns to the theatre, the opening night proves to be a resounding success, signaling a triumphant beginning for The Mikado and a testament to the collaborative energy that tethered Gilbert, Sullivan, and Carte throughout this creative journey.

The performances at the center of this tale are brought to life by a talented ensemble, including Salvador, Compadre, Renato, Natalia, and Mario, each embodied by their respective performers. Their presence helps anchor a story about artistic struggle, inspiration born from an unlikely source, and the meticulous craft that goes into turning a bold idea into a stageable, lasting success.