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The Mikado

By Kelly Skinner
NEWS RELEASE
Contact: 
Kelly Skinner, director of public relations
732-247-7200, ext. 542
[email protected]
Renu Verma, marketing & pr coordinator
732-247-7200, ext. 517
[email protected]
The Mikado
Saturday, April 4, 2009, 8pm; $60, $50, $40, $25
Ticket Office: 732-246-SHOW (7469)
 
New Brunswick, NJ (March 16, 2009)—The State Theatre presents national touring company Opera A La Carte in its highly acclaimed production ofGilbert and Sullivan’s popular operetta The Mikado on Saturday, April 4 at 8pm. Special discounts for this show include a 4-pack for $99 and a 2-pack for $49.50 (for sections P, A, and B only). Tickets range from $25-60 (group and student discounts available). 
Directed by renowned British Gilbert and Sullivan specialist Richard Sheldon, this production by California based company Opera A La Carte includes elaborate sets and costumes, and a full orchestra and chorus conducting by Music Director Alexander Ruggieri.
Opera A La Carte’s founder, Richard Sheldon, who has been called the “number one Savoyard now living in America,” also heads the cast in the title role (“a more humane Mikado”) for which he has been described as “unusually terrifying but quite hilarious.” Other favorite characters include Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, played by Eli Villanueva, praised for his comic timing, and Pooh-Bah, Lord High Everything Else, for which Rollin Lofdahl has been labeled “insufferably haughty!” The “wandering minstrel” Nanki-Poo is played by tenor Craig GilmoreCarol Winston (Yum-Yum), Ann Noriel (Pitti-Sing), and Diane Sawyers (Peep-Bo). Mezzo soprano Adelaide Sinclair plays the formidable Katisha and, making his Opera A La Carte debut, baritone Jesse Merlin appears as the noble lord Pish-Tush.
The Mikado is a comedy opera with a theme of death and cruelty. It takes place in the imaginary Japanese town of Titipu. Originally created in 1885 by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan, Gilbert veils his characters by setting the opera in Japan so he could freely ridicule the British government. Playing in over 150 companies in 1855, The Mikado still remains the most frequently preformed Savoy Opera. 
For tickets (or a brochure), call the State Theatre ticket office at 732-246-SHOW (7469), or visit us online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org. The State Theatre ticket office, located at 15 Livingston Ave, New Brunswick NJ, is open Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 10am to 6pm; Wednesday 11am to 7pm and at least one hour prior to curtain on performance dates. For information on group outings and discounts, call 732-247-7200, ext. 536.
The State Theatre, a premier nonprofit venue for the performing arts and entertainment. The theater exists to enrich people’s lives, contribute to a vital urban environment, and build future audiences by presenting the finest performing artists and entertainers and fostering lifetime appreciation for the performing arts through education. The State Theatre’s programs are made possible, in part, by funding from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, and contributions from numerous corporations, foundations, and individuals. Continental Airlines is the official airline of the State Theatre. The Heldrich is the official hotel of the State Theatre. The Star-Ledger is the official newspaper of the State Theatre. William Grant & Sons, our season spirits’ sponsor.
 
Opera A La Carte in
The Mikado
Sat, April 4 at 8pm
$60, $50, $40, $25
 
STATE THEATRE
15 Livingston Ave
New Brunswick, NJ 08901
Ticket Office – 732-246-SHOW (7469)
Online – www.StateTheatreNJ.org
PHOTOS AND INTERVIEWS FURNISHED UPON REQUEST
Please contact Kelly Skinner at
732-247-7200, ext. 542 or by email at [email protected].
Information in this release is current as of March 16, 2009.
For up-to-the-minute information on events and State Theatre news,
visit the State Theatre online at www.StateTheatreNJ.org.