Hey Mr. Producer!; The Mikado

Here's an interesting math problem: Person A is watching a three hour opera. Person B is suffering through two hours of relentless rectal cramps. Using the Scale of Misery for measurement, is B ³ A? The answer, of course, would depend on which opera. Hardcore opera--i.e., those classic Italian jobs, such as Lucia di Lammermoor, which feature portly tenors and heaving-bosom sopranos singing without subtitles--has always appealed to a small subset of the population: namely, those upper-crust (usually) folks who not only know what "lorgnette" are, but actually own a pair. At the other end of the range, we have softcore opera, more often termed "musical theatre," where people sing about subjects we truly care about--such as Cats--in English.The work of Sir William Schwenck Gilbert and Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan--popularly known as Saturday Night Live's Opera Men...no, wait, make that Gilbert and Sullivan--falls somewhere in between. In The Mikado, arguably G&S's most popular piece, a lovesick traveling troubadour named Nanki-Poo returns to his native Japanese village of Titipu (pronounced: "titty-poo," in case you're wondering) to pledge his troth for the hand of Yum Yum. Unfortunately, for Nanki-Poo, Yum Yum is already engaged to Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner. I would continue to detail the plot (the Pooh-Bah has a part in all this), but I gave up baby talk some weeks ago. Suffice it to say that after sufficient comic obstacles are overcome, Yum Y--the two lovers--are wed.Henry Ingram, Marie Baron and Eric Donkin shine in the principal roles of Nanki-Poo, Yum Yum and Ko-Ko, respectively, and the costuming, audio fidelity and stage direction are all top-notch. Filmed by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, this long unavailable 1982 version mounted by the Stratford Festival contains a few regional comic references not found in the original, as well as a few contemporary jokes (the list of good candidates for a beheading includes "children who can do Rubik's Cube in fifteen minutes flat"). Of course, the real attraction is still the popular tunes, colorfully presented here, including: "They'll None of ‘Em Be Missed," "Here's a How-De-Do!" and "From Every Kind of Man Obedience I Expect." Available individually and as part of a three volume boxed set (with The Pirates of Penzance and Iolanthe), this sure to be popular rendition of the classic Victorian comic opera is enthusiastically recommended. Aud: H, C, P.Subtitled--accurately, I believe--"The World's Greatest Concert of Musicals," Hey Mr. Producer is an astonishing potpourri of hits from 26 contemporary musicals, including: Cats, Les Miserables, Follies, Carousel, Side By Side, Little Shop of Horrors, Oliver, Oklahoma!, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, My Fair Lady and--as they say--many more. Impressive line-up? Indeed. Filmed at the Lyceum Theatre, before an audience including Her Majesty the Queen (whom younger readers may know by her hip hop name, "Lizzie 2"), this nearly three-hour extravaganza is a tribute to the incredible contributions of one man: producer Cameron MacKintosh.Over 30 renowned performers backed by a supporting company and an orchestra pay homage to "Mr. Producer" here, with highlights including a moving rendition of "Send in the Clowns" (Side by Side) by Judi Dench, a powerhouse "Suddenly, Seymour" (Little Shop of Horrors) by Ellen Greene, and the wonderfully caustic "The American Dream" (Miss Saigon) performed by Jonathan Pryce ("bums/they got money to spare/the American dream!").Wouldn't it be loverly to add this scintillating hit parade to your collection? Why, yes, I think it would. Sure to be exceptionally popular, this PBS-aired special (with 50 extra minutes not seen in the original broadcast) is highly recommended. Aud: P.And now that I've paid off my karmic debt to the opera gods--whom I've much maligned in the past--I'm going to go scale Mt. Everest wearing only a G-string. (Hey, the alternative was accompanying my wife to La Boheme.) (R. Pitman)