THEATER REVIEW:
'Mikado' gets a delightful twist

Since most of us regular folks don't live within the world of the arts, the story behind the story holds its own degree of curiosity. And sometimes it's more dramatic than the actual production.

With its world premiere of "The Mikado Project" at Grove Theater Center in Burbank, the Lodestone Theatre Ensemble presents a funny and entertaining twist on the challenges occurring behind the scenes, mixing elements of the original Gilbert and Sullivan operetta with lots of humorous revisions.

While Teddy (Kennedy Kabasares) is auditioning for Lance (Allen C. Liu) to join the theater company, he's interrupted by Cheryl (Blythe Matsui), who declares her disgust for the play that's been proposed. Her major complaint is that it was written more than 100 years ago by Caucasian British males, is degrading to women and perpetuates negative stereotypes of Asians.

Lance's concern is to get a show produced because the grant money they've been given will expire soon and someone from the foundation is coming in two days to review their progress on the project. The other company members, Viola (Erin Quill), her sometime boyfriend Ben (Ronald M. Banks) and Terri (Julia Cho) are reluctant, but will go along with the concept if it's updated to reflect more contemporary issues.

With unrestrained imagination and even fewer boundaries, they create a very modern reworking that presents Mikado Enterprises as a huge corporation that's slated for some nasty downsizing. A letter that once would have been hand-delivered becomes an e-mail message on a BlackBerry. The "A Wandering Minstrel, I" is sung to a rap beat with some nasty hip grinding and the "Three Little Maids" learned a few things that no seminary in the original would have dared to teach.

Their burst of creativity is thrown for a loop when the site visitor turns out to be Jace (Feodor Chin), a former member who suddenly left the group when he got a big break on a television show. His oversized ego and bravura compel him to suggest changes that would make him the star of the play, resurrecting lots of deep resentment. The group needs to decide what matters most — their finances, survival or integrity.

The blending of classic and modern is handled very well with seamless transitions between the original play and their new version. The authors have come up with a sharp script that allows us to witness the boundaries of artistic expression. The characters have depth and emotion, bound together not just by their passions and rampant "hornyosity" as described by Ben, but by mutual respect. As an ensemble piece, there really were no standouts among the actors, and all of them carried their weight equally through story and song.

The music that is borrowed from the original and also satirically modernized enhances the changing moods. When they poke fun at their heritage and the absurdity of what outsiders perceive as standard Asian choreography of dragons and pinwheels, the joke works very well. The overuse of fans throughout makes it all the more hilarious.

Being familiar with the original "Mikado" is not required, but will definitely enhance your enjoyment of the proceedings. And even though the name and character of Yum-Yum may conjure up several negative connotations, the simple definition of "delightful" is an appropriate description of the show.