The Mikado..

I mentioned Gilbert and Sullivan’s comic opera, “The Pirates of Penzance,” in yesterday’s blog. Another of their works that I have enjoyed a lot is, “The Mikado.” Although set in faraway Japan, the characters and situations were meant to satirize England’s politics and culture. Impossible situations present themselves in the opera, such as the dilemma faced by the town when the great Mikado decreed that anyone guilty of flirting would be beheaded. Since almost every person could be found guilty of such crime, the town’s leaders came up with an idea to stave off executions: they appointed as Lord High Executioner a poor tailor who himself was awaiting his own beheading. They all reasoned that the first in line to be beheaded was the tailor himself, and therefore no executions could take place until he had cut off his own head, which was highly unlikely. Everyone then breathed a sigh of relief; they had solved their problem.
And from that point “The Mikado” goes from one impossible situation to another, with the audience laughing uncontrollably and going home afterwards feeling great after having such a good time in the theater.
Don’t you just love it when you have invested a couple of hours in watching a movie, a play, or a concert, and it leaves you feeling good?
As a matter of fact, I watched a “feelgood” movie yesterday, and I gladly commend it to you for just good old-fashioned entertainment. The title of it is “Hugo.” It’s about an orphan boy and a grumpy old man (and a lot of other stuff). Hey, I don’t remember any cussin’, kissin’, or killin’ in it–kinda rare these days. Big name stars are in it, and it had one of filmdom’s greatest directors. If you don’t like it, you may be able to ask for a refund (but please don’t tell them I suggested it, and for goodness’ sake don’t expect me to cough it up). Don’t know where it’s showing, but the DVD I watched said, “Redbox” on the label.