In this instance, that’s mostly a good thing. Lord knows the original “Mikado’’ raises the occasional issue of cultural imperialism and racial stereotyping, but it’s hard to imagine how you’d stage a production that not only relishes the frothy fun of the ridiculous plot and the charming music but also rises above them to teach Important Lessons. And if you’re going to pick just one goal for a musical, frothy fun probably wins every time.
If there’s a certain unease to that assessment, it’s matched by a slight but pervasive uneasiness in the show itself. There are many pretty moments onstage here, and some genuinely amusing ones as well; there’s some terrific dancing and impressively virtuosic singing. But there are also some awkward patches and stiffness, as if everyone is trying just a little too hard to have a really swell time.
Warner, her design team, and her cast have clearly put a lot of effort into creating a clever and stylish fantasy world; it’s just that the effort sometimes shows. Kelli Edwards’s choreography, for instance, uses some truly sweet swing moves and jazz steps, but it also falls back too easily on obvious mime. There’s a fine line between stylized movement and cliché, and the stiff salutes and palms-together bows sometimes cross it.
Frances Nelson McSherry’s costumes, too, take some smart ideas and push them a little too far: lots of ’40s sweetheart necklines for the gals, zoot suits, and dangling watch chains for the guys, the odd hint of kimono, all fine. But why deck them mostly in a swirl of strong purples and blues (Act 1) or sweet pastels (Act 2), then put one man in a black suit and one woman in a too-bright turquoise that pulls the eye away from the leads? As for Janie E. Howland’s set, it’s a clever pastiche of japoniste tropes and hot jazz clubs, rendered a trifle too cartoonish by Franklin Meissner Jr.’s harsh, contrasty lighting.
