Cultures collide amidst ill-fated lovers’ quarrels and power struggles in Hot Mikado, playing in the Skylight’s Cabot Theatre through October 15. A modern retelling of Gilbert and Sullivan’s classic The Mikado (1885), Hot Mikado (1986) incorporates wing, gospel, blues and jazz into its catchy score.
Grammy-winning singer Jamecia Bennett – who has previously recorded with Aretha Franklin, Janet Jackson and Usher – joins the cast, performing many of the musical’s most toe-tapping songs.
Director Austene Van is eager to bring the show to the Skylight stage for the first time. “I think audiences will be thrilled by this updated version of Gilbert an Sullivan’s comic masterpiece,” she says. “It remains true to the wonderful G and S music but takes a fresh approach to address some of the outdated dialogue and stereotyping that makes audiences wince.”
