Staff and students together on stage

16 Jan 2007

Manchester Universities' Gilbert and Sullivan Society presents The Mikado or The Town of Titipu

With laughing song and merry dance ...

From 14 to 17 February 2007, the multi-award winning student drama company, the Manchester Universities' Gilbert and Sullivan Society (MUGSS), will be unleashing its 57th full-scale production, The Mikado, at the prestigious Royal Northern College of Music, Oxford Road, Manchester. The Saturday Matinee will be interpreted into British Sign Language for the hard of hearing.

Our great Mikado, virtuous man ...

Arguably the most popular of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, The Mikado has stood the test of time since 1885. This rollicking "rom-com" combines great music with humour, pathos and adventure.

Just as Gilbert drew his inspiration from contemporary culture, this year MUGSS takes its influence from the world of Bollywood, with its bright colours, visually stunning choreography and a seven foot tall ceremonial elephant!

If you want to know who we are ...

Since 1951 the Manchester Universities' Gilbert and Sullivan Society has been producing innovative and groundbreaking interpretations of the much-loved Gilbert and Sullivan operettas.

November 2005 saw MUGSS update the music of Trial by Jury to stage Rock Trial. This exciting rock opera blended Britpop, Country and Western, and everything in between, playing to sell-out audiences every night. MUGSS kept up the pace with an inspired re-invention of Utopia Ltd in March 2006. Utopia Ltd satirised the nation's current obsession with reality television and received such plaudits as "very entertaining and colourful production with a strong cast of singers" and "it's a show that's rarely done and you've made a real hit out of it."

The director of Utopia Ltd returns this year, ensuring that MUGSS succeeds once again in its aim to make the music of Gilbert and Sullivan more accessible to a modern audience. This 2007 interpretation of The Mikado promises to surprise and delight, without losing any of the original wit and charm that has guaranteed its popularity for nearly 150 years.