Copyright © 2024 by Wendy Waszut-Barrett
In 2022, Gilbert & Sullivan Austin (Texas) reimagined The Mikado to create The McAdo. Promotional materials explained, “The Mikado has been moved to the highlands of Scotland and becomes The McAdo. Gilbert’s librettos and Sullivan’s score will be kept virtually intact, while scenery and costumes will reflect the Scottish moors. It is a farcical tale of a wond’ring minstrel, a cowardly executioner, and iron-fisted ruler, and some of the greatest songs in musical theatre!”
Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Company (Minneapolis, Minnesota) produced their own version of The McAdo, or The Town of Ballydew this fall. I was again asked to be the scenic designer/artist. This became a “family endeavor” last year; my son plays with the GSVLOC orchestra (cello), and my husband fills in as a stage carpenter.
Established in 1979, the Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company performs at the Howard Conn Fine Arts Center, Plymouth Congregational Church , Minneapolis, Minnesota. This stage is a very challenging space, as there is no fly loft or viable wing space… just a series of 12’-0”h (semi-permanent) wings, and a rather odd-shaped apron.
To complicate matters, the orchestra is situated SR in a double-decker shop space (see images below).
The McAdo ran from Nov. 1-24, 2024, and was directed by long-term company member, Joe Andrews, who added his own layer of whimsy to the Scottish interpretation.
To add context, he developed a 12-min. digital pre-show. It began with multiple streaming choices, including “Rapture Plus,” a Gilbert & Sullivan network.
This was not a video clip, but controlled by Stage Manager Kate Bender each night from the lighting booth.
A variety of Mikado options were listed in the “pre-show streaming service” – such as Hot Mikado (the 1985 retelling of the 1939 All-African American reimagining of the classic), Cool Mikado (reset in a contemporary 1960s comic gangster story), Il Ducato (The San Francisco Lamplighters re-setting of the G&S classic in Renaissance Italy), Eric Idle Mikado (1987 ensemble set in an English country hotel during the 1920s), and GSVLOC’s choice – The McAdo.
Parental warnings of racism, exoticism, and cultural appropriation were also attached to the original Mikado listing, with a secondary side note stating that this version was “only availability in Florida, Kansas and Arizona.”
Another streaming setting during pre-show – “to optimize” viewing pleasure – included a Language and Accents option, specifically “Midwestern English”, “Mid-Atlantic English (with a wee Scottish Lilt)”, or “Scottish Shetland Brogue”. The Audio settings included BuikemaAudio, after the musical director Randy Buikema, and described “as if a 30-person orchestra and full chorus were mere feet away.” Finally, there were two other settings – Anachronisms and Video Settings. “G&S Virtual Reality” is the final selection before the overture opens the show.
My scenic design was completed and approved before the introduction of the “Rapture Plus”pre-show.
Some of the painted elements downstage of the projection screen were cut. The others that remained had to “disappear” during the pre-show and “appear” instantaneously during the overture.
It was Coco who would make the side-stage art and stage-apron art magically appear. Black masking suggested for the reveal, but I was concerned about quickly whisking away large pieces of fabric on a small stage filled with forty performers. We then tried small roll drops, but they were too sluggish; the action had to take place in about two seconds.
After watching a few failed attempts during tech, it became clear that our only option was LIGHT.
Fortunately, I have a wonderful LD – Carl Schoenberg. In the end, it worked extremely well! When the projection screen was raised for the overture, the stage was bathed in cool light – working well for the “G&S virtual performance” saspect.
During Coco’s magical reveal (about halfway through the overture), the set was blasted with warm light, making the scenery appear vibrantly lush. Schoenberg did an excellent job of pulling out various colors in the foliage painting throughout the show to change location. The attached images fail to capture the actual color, but I was extremely well pleased with how everything looked.
Here are a few scenes from our show that received extremely positive reviews.
For those curious about my painting logistics:
I purchased 126”-wide muslin, as that is the width works perfectly with my paint frame. Tacking up to two 50’-wide pieces, I painted the entire show over the course of a few short days; working on multiple scenic art compositions makes everything go at lightning speed. I never have to wait for something to dry and can continue to plug along at a quick pace.
Now factor in that I am solely working with distemper paint (pigment paste and diluted hide glue), and the overall material cost is again reduced. I seldom use more than three cups of pigment paste and one pound of hide glue per show. Any leftover pigment paste is scraped into a container and saved for the next show. The shelf life is phenomenal.
This whole process is extremely green with virtually no waste. Vertical paint frames and distemper paint were made for each other. Everything dries fast and everything can become a transparency! In the end, each piece can be folded for easy storage until its next use.
To be continued…
