by Angela Sutton
Photo: Erin Baiano
And now for something…a little different. The Collegiate Chorale, in conjunction with its gala fundraising event on Tuesday night, presented a partially staged performance of Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado at Carnegie Hall. The chorale, in collaboration with the American Symphony Orchestra under conductor Ted Sperling, supported an array of well-known voices from stage and screen performing the lead roles.
The cast appeared in modern black-tie dress, with a few key Japanese-themed props (parasols, hairpins) and, of course, a truly gigantic sword. In lieu of scenery, a wallpaper image of Mount Fuji was projected on the back wall of the stage. Working from scores, the cast shifted among a series of stage-front music stands, clustering in plot-driven groups.
Christopher Fitzgerald created a hilarious Pesci-esque Ko-Ko, the harried High Lord Executioner. His fine singing voice often (deliberately) went cartoonishly off the rails during Ko-Ko’s frequent fits of frustration. He met his match in Victoria Clark’s Katisha, who strolled onto the stage looking as if she had just left the set of Absolutely Fabulous. This pair provided abundant physical comedy for the evening.
Jonathan Freeman (the voice—among other things—of Disney’s Jafar), delivered a pitch-perfect Poo-Bah, wearily intoning his upper-crust advice throughout the show. The female leads, Kelli O’Hara (Yum-Yum), Lauren Worsham (Pitti-Sing), and Amy Justman (Peep-Bo), displayed excellent ensemble in their scenes together. Ms. Worsham deserves special note for her hyperactive Pitti-Sing, brightly maneuvering herself into (and out of) official troubles.
There were a few changes to Gilbert’s text (Ko-Ko’s “little list” of future beheadings grew to include the Kardashians, among others), but these only served to enhance the comedy. In fact, the only stilted moments came during the Britishisms in the spoken text; perhaps it could have been further Americanized.
Behind it all, the orchestra and singers chugged along with excellent pacing. The chorale got in on the action as well, periodically producing paper fans, bouncing up and down, or tossing their heads. Their timing, for such a large group, was impeccable.
The Collegiate Chorale’s next performance in New York City will take place on May 21 at St. Bartholomew’s Church.