“so very Japanny” (Gsarchive.
net, 2018)
The poster from the very first performance of the Gilbert and Sullivan
Mikado at the Savoy Theatre on 14th March 1885
Gilbert and Sullivan, to this day, are deemed the
‘forerunners of contemporary musical theatre’
(Ankeny, 2018). The duo composed over 14
operas and operettas which are performed across
the world. Gilbert and Sullivan’s career first
started in the early 1800s where stage censorship
was rife. This censorship meant that Plays were
only allowed to be performed at two venues;
Drury Lane and Covent Garden. This means that
the theatres of London were full of racy
burlesque and melodrama – which caused
audience numbers to drop, particularly within the
middle class. This allowed Gilbert and Sullivan the
perfect opportunity to bring some humour into
the mix with their Operas and Operettas, as they
were not deemed as ‘plays’ according to the new
censorship laws.
One of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular, yet
now controversial Operettas is The Mikado. The
Mikado was first performed at the Savoy Theatre
on the 14th March 1885 and ran for 672
performances. Since then, it has been the famous
duos most performed musical across the world.
The Mikado was written at a time when England
were fascinated by all things ‘Japan’ as Japan
opened to the west in the mid 1850s, with a big
Japanese community opening in Knightsbridge,
London. This culture was so new, that the locals
wanted to learn and adopt the new culture and
customs, Gilbert and Sullivan were no different.
Gilbert wanted to make this operetta as true a
representation of the Japanese culture as
possible. However, at that time only
The Programme from the very first performance of
the Mikado at the Savoy Theatre on 14th March 1885
Caucasian actors and actresses allowed to
perform in London Theatres. This created a
problem for Gilbert as he wanted the Savoy
actors to lose the “Perfect grace and loveliness”
(Gsarchive.net, 2018) and replace with more
Japanese-like movements. Gilbert hired a
Japanese Tea-girl and a Male Dancer to teach the
actors how to sit, dance, apply make-up and even
walk like the Japanese to ensure their piece was
culturally correct. The Japanese community at
this time were “flattered when they learnt that
they had inspired England's most distinguished
librettist with the basis of an opera”
(Gsarchive.net, 2018)
Although Gilbert and Sullivan tried to make this a
true cultural representation of Japanese culture,
as time went on it was questioned whether it
actually became a “racists caricature of Japan”
(cooper, 2018). After all, it is a comedy! It wasn’t
common within the late 18th/early 19th century to
have actors from ethnic minorities, let alone
individuals who were both of Asian heritage and
spoke English. This prejudice was relatively
normal for the time, however over recent years
The Mikado, amongst other musicals has sparked
quite the debate.
Recent revivals of the Gilbert and Sullivan classic
have ignited controversy for being racist. One
example is a recently cancelled version of The
Mikado that was to be opened by the New York
Gilbert and Sullivan Society. This was due to the
fact that, like the original, there was a severe lack
of Asian-American actors and actresses, and the
company decided to go forward with the ‘yellow-
face’ for the ‘comedic factor’. However, in
 modern-day society, it is considered an iult to ethnic music as he faced so much prejudice
portray a culture that is not your own, as it is within the industry due to his own Latin-
deemed as being racist. American heritage.

Hamilton, the story of the founding father of the

US, who himself was white, is instead played by a
Latin-American actor. As well as numerous other
historic white males and females being portrayed
by actors from ethnic minorities. It was the first
of its kind – a musical completely using colour-
blind casting (casting an individual based purely
on talent and the ability to perform the role,
Miss Saigon 1989 poster Jonathan Pryce - Engineer rather than their racial likeness.) This has opened
the doors for a lot of actors and actresses to
Gilbert and Sullivan were not the only two writers access parts they previously couldn’t, so long as
to make this blunder. When the original cast of the ethnicity of the character is not integral to
Miss Saigon opened in London in 1989, it was the storyline. A few examples of this would be
faced with protest. This was because Jonathan Norm Lewis as Javert in Les Misérables and Noma
Pryce (a white English man) was cast as the Dumezweni as Hermione Granger in Harry Potter
Vietnamese club owner known as the ‘Engineer’. and the Cursed Child.
Furthermore, it was decided that Pryce would
wear prosthetics to alter the shape of his eyes
and yellow his skin to give him the ‘Asian look’.
Unfortunately, within this production, there were
several ensemble members who also used
prosthetics and colouring. This led to public
protests before its Broadway Debut two years
later as allowing a white man to ‘pose’ as
someone from Asian heritage was deemed as "an
affront to the Asian community" (Bunbury 2016)
by the US Equity Association.
Noma Dumezweni as Hermione Granger
Since then, there has been a constant battle with
minority races and cultures to be included within
Although Gilbert and Sullivan’s Mikado has been
the theatre world. This is because both the West
at the heart of controversy in terms of racism, it
End and Broadway are seen to be ‘whitewashed.’
these earlier musicals that have prompted such a
Meaning that there are very few productions
positive change within the theatre industry. So
where BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic)
much so, that more contemporary writers are
actors can be cast. This was, until the
even tailoring musicals for a more diverse cast. It
phenomenon ‘Hamilton’ hit the Broadway stage
is possible that, over time, unless necessary to
in 2015. The writer, Lin-Manuel Miranda, wrote
the plot line, race won’t even be considered
Hamilton to include BAME actors and more
when casting for a production.

The Original Broadway Cast of Hamilton - 2015

Bibliography:

Vam.ac.uk. (2018). 18th-Century Theatre - Victoria and Albert Museum. [online] Available at:
http://www.vam.ac.uk/content/articles/0-9/18th-century-theatre/ [Accessed 29 Dec. 2018].

Ankeny, J. (2018). Gilbert & Sullivan | Biography & History | AllMusic. [online] AllMusic. Available at:
https://www.allmusic.com/artist/gilbert-sullivan-mn0001570332/biography [Accessed 29 Dec. 2018].

Cooper, M. (2018). Reviving ‘The Mikado’ in a Balancing Act of Taste. [online] Nytimes.com. Available at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/25/arts/music/reviving-the-mikado-in-a-balancing-act-of-taste.html
[Accessed 29 Dec. 2018].

Gsarchive.net. (2018). The Making of The Mikado. [online] Available at:

https://www.gsarchive.net/mikado/html/make_mikado.html [Accessed 29 Dec. 2018].

Bunbury, S. (2016). Jonathan Pryce on the controversy that almost sunk Miss Saigon. [online] The Sydney
Morning Herald. Available at: https://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/movies/jonathan-pryce-on-the-
controversy-that-almost-sunk-miss-saigon-20160926-groc7a.html [Accessed 3 Jan. 2019].

Nytimes.com. (2017). The Battle of ‘Miss Saigon’: Yellowface, Art and Opportunity. [online] Available at:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/theater/the-battle-of-miss-saigon-yellowface-art-and-
opportunity.html [Accessed 3 Jan. 2019].

Bu.edu. (2016). All Hammed Up: How Hamilton: An American Musical Addresses Post-Racial Beliefs »
Writing Program » Boston University. [online] Available at:
http://www.bu.edu/writingprogram/journal/past-issues/issue-9/umehira/ [Accessed