I’ll admit that, although I recognised many of the songs from various concerts I’ve been to, this was the first visit to a full Gilbert & Sullivan production I have seen. It’s an experience.

GASP did a great job at setting the scene, with a custom built proscenium that was added to the stage at Bembridge Village Hall and a pop up Victorian Box Office. It felt like one of Pollocks Pop-up Toy Theatres. 

They manage to cram a lot into this little village hall in Bembridge. A small orchestra, a seated chorus and a cast of almost 50 people! That’s no mean feat in this tiny space and Director, John Abraham, should be applauded for his ambition. 

(Image: GASP) n (Image: GASP) It did get rather cramped on stage when the full company were all on so there wasn’t an awful lot of room for choreography. But, some simple gestures helped add a bit of movement to those bigger scenes. 

Fantastic vocals from this cast throughout. The chorus had a great impact and filled the room with a wonderful sound. 

Lucy Hinkley as Yum-Yum and Theresa Martin as Pitti-Sing are beautiful singers with great characterisation eking out as much as they could from these roles. 

Anita Davies was, by far, the stand out performance of the night as Katisha. Her poise, her precision in her movement and her cutting remarks were expertly executed. She had a powerful entrance through the audience to end the first half and brought so much to the role throughout. 

(Image: GASP) (Image: GASP) Paul Stevens was commanding, as ever, in the role of Poo-Bah but many of the other male principals felt like they were in an absurd pantomime with jokes that unfortunately often fell flat. 

There was a humorous rewriting of the famous ‘List’ by Maureen Sullivan with topical references to ex-Tory MPs, Island Roads and Island Line Trains which earned the biggest laughs of the night. 

The stage was filled with stunning costumes, the level of detail in these monochrome 1920s suits and dresses was divine. Anita Davies in particular was dressed immaculately and her striking silhouette. made such an impact on the stage. 

For me, the problem is the show itself. Why this show? Why now? It’s a difficult choice in 2024, even without setting it in traditional Japanese dress (thank goodness!) there’s a lot of problematic dialogue and references to school girls getting married to older men. It isn’t the biting satire of British Establishment it may have once been. It’s dated, offensive and I just don’t feel like it has anything to say. 

It’s great the GASP are keeping the tradition of Gilbert & Sullivan alive on the Island, but I feel maybe it is time that this particular nostalgic cultural relic, The Mikado, is consigned to the history books. But maybe that’s just me…