Check out the trailer for the indie feature film The Mikado Project, directed by Chil Kong. It's a musical comedy, based on the stage performance written by Ken Narasaki and Doris Baizley, about a struggling Asian American theater company that decides to produce a modern reconstruction of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado:
The Mikado Project is a musical comedy (based on the stage performance written by Ken Narasaki and Doris Baizley and adapted for film by Chil Kong) of a struggling Asian American theater company that, in a desperate publicity stunt to save their company, decides to produce a modern reconstruction of Gilbert and Sullivan's, The Mikado, to stir controversy and jolt ticket sales.You might recognize a few familiar faces in the trailer, including the always awesome Tamlyn Tomita, our buddy Raymond Lee, as well as Yuri Tag of Kaba Modern, who are definitely there bringing a different kind of energy to a stereotypical, old-ass opera. It's a good idea, and I hope it works.
The Mikado, one of the most beloved comedy operas by legendary collaborators, Arthur Sullivan and W.S. Gilbert, first opened on stage in 1885 in London. The story was set in Japan (considered an exotic land to the British during that era) which allowed Gilbert & Sullivan to satirize British politics. However, by doing so, Asians around the world and Asian Americans today have found this opera hard to embrace—making the notion of Asian American actors performing The Mikado controversial and palatable only through a comedic reconstruction.
The Mikado Project is making its world premiere on Saturday, May 1 at the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival. The cast and crew will be in attendance. For more information about The Mikado Project, visit the film's website here.