I had to search far and wide for this DVD and it finally appeared on Ebay.
This 1966 production by D'Oyly Carte troop is true to its origins. Filmed on stage in England, this video performance is WAY better than the dated 1939 B&W film which is now on Criterion. The costumes and scenery are fresher but still authentic, the singing is superb, the actors "get into it" without overacting and adhere to the G&S tradition in the way only D'Oyly Carte can. Essentially The Mikado is a satire on British class wars superimposed over Japanese culture. It's hilarious. The lyrics by Gilbert are in the pantheon of literature and the music by Sullivan is unforgettable. The costumes, makeup, scenery, fans and story are jaw dropping. I first saw this operetta in 1965 and have been an opera fanatic ever since. For a somewhat fictionalized account of G&S and how The Mikado came to be, see the excellent film Topsy-Turvy (1999) directed by Mike Leigh.
This 1966 production by D'Oyly Carte troop is true to its origins. Filmed on stage in England, this video performance is WAY better than the dated 1939 B&W film which is now on Criterion. The costumes and scenery are fresher but still authentic, the singing is superb, the actors "get into it" without overacting and adhere to the G&S tradition in the way only D'Oyly Carte can. Essentially The Mikado is a satire on British class wars superimposed over Japanese culture. It's hilarious. The lyrics by Gilbert are in the pantheon of literature and the music by Sullivan is unforgettable. The costumes, makeup, scenery, fans and story are jaw dropping. I first saw this operetta in 1965 and have been an opera fanatic ever since. For a somewhat fictionalized account of G&S and how The Mikado came to be, see the excellent film Topsy-Turvy (1999) directed by Mike Leigh.