The constraints of a studio floor are real, of course, as are the constraints of a live stage. For my part, however, having had the pleasure of singing Pooh Bah (as an amateur) I feel that any "stiffness" (making allowance for the setting in 19th-century Japan) is more than compensated for by the quality of the singing,and acting in every way. I remember the production, and it is to put it mildly, the best I have seen on CZcams, and in many other places, as well.
One additional thought: the name of Ian Wallace's character is misspelt - it should be "Pooh Bah". This does not diminish my gratitude for the upload, however!
This production feels stiff being neither on a theater stage nor a realistic set, just a TV studio floor on which the girls move around like daleks. One remembers a younger Valerie Masterson as a perfect Yum-Yum in the 1966 D'Oyly Carte film.
Having now watched the entire video of both acts, I can only say that I disagree 100%. Best Mikado on video, wiith a terrific cast, excellent conductor, David Lloyd-Jones and top-notch orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic. There is a deliberate restraint in the production that is so gratifying after so many others that go largely for laughs. Of which there are plenty here, but never at the expense of character.
The constraints of a studio floor are real, of course, as are the constraints of a live stage. For my part, however, having had the pleasure of singing Pooh Bah (as an amateur) I feel that any "stiffness" (making allowance for the setting in 19th-century Japan) is more than compensated for by the quality of the singing,and acting in every way. I remember the production, and it is to put it mildly, the best I have seen on CZcams, and in many other places, as well.
Thé elocution is clear and requires no consultation of the lyrics to comprehend the words
Wow!
One additional thought: the name of Ian Wallace's character is misspelt - it should be "Pooh Bah". This does not diminish my gratitude for the upload, however!
Pooh Bar, didn’t he live in Tennessee’s Hundred Acre Wood?
@@oldcremona I rather think that it was in Sussex
This production feels stiff being neither on a theater stage nor a realistic set, just a TV studio floor on which the girls move around like daleks. One remembers a younger Valerie Masterson as a perfect Yum-Yum in the 1966 D'Oyly Carte film.
Having now watched the entire video of both acts, I can only say that I disagree 100%. Best Mikado on video, wiith a terrific cast, excellent conductor, David Lloyd-Jones and top-notch orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic. There is a deliberate restraint in the production that is so gratifying after so many others that go largely for laughs. Of which there are plenty here, but never at the expense of character.