Welcome to Titipu! A twist on Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic, ‘The Hot Mikado’ tells the tale of a wandering minstrel who is in fact the son of the ruler of Japan in a heavily jazz and swing influenced style. This production includes tap dancing, some wonderful mugging on the part of the chorus and generally spirited performances of the updated songs. The change of musical style does not suit all the numbers, it must be said, but the patter songs are still clever and Katisha’s blues sensibilities lend the character a sympathy she does not always possess.
With only an hour to work with, many of the songs have either been truncated or removed completely. It’s a shame because the audience would happily stay for double the running time to watch the Mikado tap-dance again and hear Pitti-Sing belt out another number or three: she has the strongest voice in the entire cast and it’s unfortunate that she has the lead in only one song, especially when not all the soloists are equally audible over the four-piece band.
There are some odd choices in this production including the use of US military uniforms and the ‘three little maids’ being dressed in corsets and frilly knickers, rather at odds with their being “from a ladies’ seminary”. Still, the production as a whole is good, clean fun and the closing number, borrowed from the Blues Brothers, is a delightful surprise.
4/5 
Keira Farrell
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