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CARTHAGE, Mo. —
The kimono-clad performers who glide around the Stone’s Throw Theatre stage make the show seem light and effortless as a summer vacation.
In reality, a lot of people went to a lot of work and hassle to put on “The Mikado,” which opened Thursday and will continue today and include a Sunday matinee. The performance will be repeated July 5-8.
“This has been a rocky show,” said director Shanti Navarre.
For example, since the Gilbert and Sullivan musical is set in Japan, the initial plan was to rent Japanese costumes, but that didn’t work out. Then there was some thought about buying them, but that wasn’t feasible.
“I spent most of the show building costumes,” Navarre said.
And she did a wonderful job, according to Roberta Shilane, who sang the role of Katisha. She gets to wear a flowing robe as well as a towering wig decorated with dangling crystals.
“I thrill to this costume,” Shilane said.
Navarre and daughter Cheyla Navarre also designed the makeup and the sets, with help from Daniel Burkett on the set design.
Lights were another problem.
“We lost our light person, so Kevin Nolte, who plays Nanki-Poo, stepped in and set up the lights in two days,” director Navarre said. “His brother, Brandon Nolte, drove in from Illinois to run them.”
Everything at Stone’s Throw, which was founded in 1928, is done by volunteers, including preparing the meals for the dinner theater. For “The Mikado,” an Asian-style menu was selected, including egg roll, pork stir-fry and salad. Dessert, served during intermission, is wedding cake.
That’s appropriate, since the plot centers around Nanki-Poo and his efforts to marry the lovely Yum-Yum, beautifully sung by Cheyla Navarre. Unfortunately for them, Yum-Yum is betrothed to Ko-Ko, the lord high executioner of Titipu, played by John Tsangaris.
Nanki-Poo is so depressed by this that he decides to end his miserable existence. Ko-Ko tries to talk him out of it, until he learns that the Mikado, the ruler of Japan, is displeased because there have been no executions in Titipu for the past year. The two work out a deal — Nanki-Poo can marry Yum-Yum and live happily for a month, then Ko-Ko will carry out his official duties as executioner.
Unfortunately, it turns out that if a married man is beheaded, his wife must be buried alive.
The kimono-clad performers who glide around the Stone’s Throw Theatre stage make the show seem light and effortless as a summer vacation.
In reality, a lot of people went to a lot of work and hassle to put on “The Mikado,” which opened Thursday and will continue today and include a Sunday matinee. The performance will be repeated July 5-8.
“This has been a rocky show,” said director Shanti Navarre.
For example, since the Gilbert and Sullivan musical is set in Japan, the initial plan was to rent Japanese costumes, but that didn’t work out. Then there was some thought about buying them, but that wasn’t feasible.
“I spent most of the show building costumes,” Navarre said.
And she did a wonderful job, according to Roberta Shilane, who sang the role of Katisha. She gets to wear a flowing robe as well as a towering wig decorated with dangling crystals.
“I thrill to this costume,” Shilane said.
Navarre and daughter Cheyla Navarre also designed the makeup and the sets, with help from Daniel Burkett on the set design.
Lights were another problem.
“We lost our light person, so Kevin Nolte, who plays Nanki-Poo, stepped in and set up the lights in two days,” director Navarre said. “His brother, Brandon Nolte, drove in from Illinois to run them.”
Everything at Stone’s Throw, which was founded in 1928, is done by volunteers, including preparing the meals for the dinner theater. For “The Mikado,” an Asian-style menu was selected, including egg roll, pork stir-fry and salad. Dessert, served during intermission, is wedding cake.
That’s appropriate, since the plot centers around Nanki-Poo and his efforts to marry the lovely Yum-Yum, beautifully sung by Cheyla Navarre. Unfortunately for them, Yum-Yum is betrothed to Ko-Ko, the lord high executioner of Titipu, played by John Tsangaris.
Nanki-Poo is so depressed by this that he decides to end his miserable existence. Ko-Ko tries to talk him out of it, until he learns that the Mikado, the ruler of Japan, is displeased because there have been no executions in Titipu for the past year. The two work out a deal — Nanki-Poo can marry Yum-Yum and live happily for a month, then Ko-Ko will carry out his official duties as executioner.
Unfortunately, it turns out that if a married man is beheaded, his wife must be buried alive.
“That seems like such a stuffy death,” Yum-Yum says.
Finally, Ko-Ko sends the two away, then makes out a death certificate for Nanki-Poo, which he presents to the Mikado when he visits.
That’s when he learns that Nanki-Poo was the Mikado’s only son and the heir to the throne of Japan. The penalty for that is death by fairly unpleasant means, including boiling oil or melted lead. The only way Ko-Ko can save himself from that is to woo and wed Katisha, Nanki-Poo’s jilted fiancee. She’s the reason why Nanki-Poo ran off from his father’s palace in the first place.
The cast includes Richard Merriman II as the Mikado; Daniel Burkett as Pooh-Bah, the home secretary, archbishop of Titipu, lord of the exchequer, etc.; Trent Bauer, another noble lord; Olivia Donnel as Pitti-Sing, Deborah Stevens as Peep-Bo and Julia Oney as Wi-Ting, all sisters of Yum-Yum; and Jennifer Brothers as Pe-Ko, a tea girl in Ko-Ko’s court.
Kevin Nolte said that he hadn’t seen any Gilbert and Sullivan shows before he starred in this one.
“I love it,” he said. “I’m having a blast. It’s a lot of stress and hard work, but it’s worth it.”
Burkett said he had seen a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan, but this was his first opportunity to perform it. Since Pooh-Bah holds many high-ranking offices in Titipu, it can be a challenging role.
“It’s a matter of actually splitting up those personalities,” Burkett said.
For evening performances, doors open at 6 p.m., dinner is served at 6:30 p.m. and the show starts at 7:30 p.m. Sunday performances are matinees, with the doors opening at noon, lunch served at 1 p.m. and the show starting at 2 p.m.
Pre-paid reservations are required. Cost is $25 for adults aged 19 to 54, $22 for those over 55, students with ID and young people aged 6 to 18, $13 for ages 6 to 12 and free for those 5 and younger. There is an additional cost of $3 per ticket for musicals.
Tickets may be purchased by calling the Stone’s Throw box office at 417-358-9665 between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, or by going to stonesthrow@ecarthage.com.
