It's been interesting doing a Gilbert & Sullivan show with a cast composed primarily of people who may have plenty of theatrical or musical experience, but no G&S. I've done Mikado once before, and seen at least half a dozen other productions of it. The jokes I merely smile or chuckle at cause the "G&S virgins" to laugh out loud, some of the Victorian turns of phrase can be as perplexing as Shakespeare (in language, context is all!), and many don't realize that the apparent simplicity of the music is deceptive. I try not to be a Little Miss Know-It-All, and it's gotten easier to keep my mouth shut. (Though I'm dying to tell the director that Pish-Tush's name is supposed to rhyme with brush, not push.) I'm probably not biting my tongue any more than I would in any other production in which I didn't always agree with the director's choices.
I had gotten rather tired of Mikado. I'm sure that while much of my revived enjoyment of it is because I'm doing it as a lead, not a chorister, and therefore get to play more, I'm also picking up on the enjoyment of those in the cast who are discovering it for the first time. Oh, and the fun of learning the blocking. It's initially painful, while I try to remember everything at once, but when it starts to work, it's always a thrill ("I finally remembered that parasol business in time to do it!").
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