10 things you didn't know about The Mikado

Although it's now their most popular piece, The Mikado very nearly didn't happen as Gilbert and Sullivan had fallen out prior to its writing. In 1884 Sir Arthur Sullivan was keen to bring the pair's lucrative comic opera partnership to an end in order to pursue 'serious' music. Luckily when Gilbert hit upon the idea for The Mikado, Sullivan was persuaded that they should work together again. Thank goodness they settled their differences!

Bizarrely, W.S. Gilbert is said to have been inspired to write the libretto after a decorative Japanese sword fell off the wall in his house in Knightsbridge. Proof that you just never know where that next great idea is going to come from!

Despite its inauspicious beginnings, The Mikado was immediately a huge hit with the public. After opening, it ran at the Savoy Theatre in London for a whopping 672 performances, and by the end of the year some 150 companies were performing it across Europe and the USA. In fact, it's estimated that it has been in constant production for the past 131 years. Pretty impressive!

As Gilbert was setting out to satirise the British, the names in the show are not authentic Japanese names, in fact many of them are based on nonsense nursery speak. The beautiful heroine is called Yum-Yum, advisors are Pooh-Bah and Pish-Tush, and the hero's name, Nanki-Poo, is Victorian baby-talk for handkerchief!

The show's title refers to The Mikado of Japan, the traditional title for the Japanese emperor. Random fact of the day: the word 'Mikado' literally translates to 'gate' in Japanese – a reference to the Imperial Palace gate in Kyoto.

Ko-Ko, the hilarious Lord High Executioner at the heart of the story, has been played by comedy stars such as Eric Idle, Dudley Moore, Bill Oddie and even Groucho Marx! But we don't think any of them are a patch on our Ko-Ko, G&S legend Richard Suart...

It's become a theatrical tradition for Ko-Ko's famous 'little list' aria to change at every performance. Listen out for references to modern politicians, pop stars, and the big news stories of the day. Our very own Ko-Ko, Richard Suart, has even published a book on the subject!

With some of Gilbert and Sullivan's catchiest tunes, it's no surprise that many pieces from The Mikado have found their way into film and television, being featured in shows as diverse as Top Cat, Batman and Blackadder Goes Forth.

In the days before opening night, Gilbert and Sullivan decided to cut the Mikado's only solo song, until members of the company who had witnessed the dress rehearsal begged them to keep it in. We think they made the right decision!

Did you know that the designer of our new Mikado, Dick Bird, also designed Kate Bush’s 'Before the Dawn' tour? Dick's designs in the show have been hailed by the critics as 'spectacular', 'dazzling' and 'gorgeous', although reports that the production also features 'A Man With The Child In His Eyes' and cast members 'Running Up That Hill' are as yet unconfirmed...