The Mikado
Victorian Japan satire
The Mikado is a comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan, premiered in 1885, set in a fictional Japan.
The title refers to the Emperor of Japan, an archaic English term for that ruler.
The operetta satirizes British politics and society through its Japanese veneer.
We're putting on The Mikado this spring.
Outside the opera, mikado occasionally appears as a general term for the Japanese emperor, though this usage is dated.
Victorian operetta collaborators
- librettoOpera's written words
- scoreNumerical standing in competition
- overtureIntroductory orchestral piece
- ariaOperatic solo piece
duet · finale · Savoy · Pooh-Bah · soprano · tenor · baritone · ensemble
Satirical imitation
- ironyMeaning opposite to words
- lampoonHarsh public mockery
- mockeryScornful ridicule or travesty
- social commentaryAnalysis of societal conditions
critique · burlesque · travesty · ridicule · hypocrisy · pomposity · bureaucracy · capital punishment
Wraparound Japanese garment
- fanAdmirer or air mover
- parasolHandheld shade device
- cherry blossomOrnamental Prunus flower
- pagodaTiered Asian temple tower
paper lantern · exoticism · costume · set design · aesthetic · decorative · theatrical
Boned waist-shaping undergarment
- bustleEnergetic noisy activity
- gaslightDistort someone's reality
- etiquetteRules of polite conduct
- gentilityRefined social standing
colonialism · drawing room · propriety · class system · industrialization · 1885 · London · Queen Victoria
One who governs
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- punishmentPenalty for an offense
- decreeAuthoritative legal command
- fearsomeCausing intense alarm
boiling oil · sovereign · tyrant · justice · law
Gilbert and Sullivan
Victorian operetta collaborators
- librettoOpera's written words
- scoreNumerical standing in competition
- overtureIntroductory orchestral piece
aria · duet · finale · Savoy · Pooh-Bah · soprano · tenor · baritone · ensemble · chorus
parody
Satirical imitation
social commentary · critique · burlesque · travesty · ridicule · hypocrisy · pomposity · bureaucracy · capital punishment · flirting
kimono
Wraparound Japanese garment
- fanAdmirer or air mover
- parasolHandheld shade device
- cherry blossomOrnamental Prunus flower
pagoda · paper lantern · exoticism · costume · set design · aesthetic · decorative · theatrical
corset
Boned waist-shaping undergarment
gentility · colonialism · drawing room · propriety · class system · industrialization · 1885 · London · Queen Victoria · Gilbert
ruler
One who governs
- authorityPower to enforce obedience
- punishmentPenalty for an offense
- decreeAuthoritative legal command
The MikadoMadama Butterfly
Three-act Nagasaki opera
Miss Saigon · Hamlet · King Lear · Oedipus Rex · Medea
The MikadoParsifal
Arthurian Grail quester
Don Giovanni · Aida · Fidelio · grand opera