The
Mikado
The Mikado by Opera della Luna at the Theatre Royal Winchester on the 22nd January.
Not having been to an opera before, my first expectations were ‘would I be able to understand what was going on?’. The invitation gave some details and implied that being a comedy this was great for those new to opera as well as for the seasoned veteran.
We have been to the Theatre Royal in Winchester before to see Al Murray (Pub Landlord) some years ago so knew the theatre. It is a mix of old and new, and has a very friendly feel to it.
We arrived early and bought a program to learn more about the performance. To my surprise the performance was going to be in English and was going to have a modern feel to it. So I would at least have an idea what was going on. It also helped that I read the background on the program.
So what exactly is it all about, well without giving anything away I can’t tell you too much. But here goes, its based around a story in Japan, with the emperor, his son, love and trying not to be executed; well it’s got all of that in it.
The performance started and was nothing like I had expected, it took me about 15 minutes to get into it but once I was, I enjoyed every moment of it. If you enjoy the theatre, musicals and comedy this meets all you requirements. The costumes were wonderfully colourful, the humour on the button and the singing was just amazing.
Let’s hope Opera della Luna will be back at the Theatre Royal soon.
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