THE MIKADO by GILBERT & SULLIVAN

SATURDAY & SUNDAY - OCTOBER 17 & 18, 2026 | Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo

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Opera San Luis Obispo is thrilled to present THE MIKADO in the regions first grand production of a Gilbert and Sullivan work!
Perfect for all ages, we love to promise you’ve not experienced live theatre until you see it produced by a grand opera company, and OperaSLO’s production promises to thrill and wow patrons moment-to-moment with expansive sets and costumes, ballet, chorus, an nationally acclaimed leading cast, all accompanied by the full OperaSLO Grand Orchestra conducted by Brian Asher Alhadeff. The production will be choreographed by Drew Silvaggio and stage directed by Marcy Irving in collaboration with Central Coast Gilbert & Sullivan and Civic Ballet San Luis Obispo. 

SATURDAY & SUNDAY | OCTOBER 17th and 18th | BOTH PERFORMANCES 2PM

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WANT TO KNOW MORE ABOUT AN OPERASLO GRAND PRODUCTION? CLICK HERE TO WATCH A SHORT INTRO VIDEO

MORE ABOUT GILBERT & SULLIVAN'S THE MIKADO: 

The Mikado is Gilbert and Sullivan at their most deliciously mischievous: a razor-sharp Victorian satire wrapped in silk robes, fans, and absurdly catchy tunes. Set in the fictional Japanese town of Titipu (a place where flirting is illegal, executions are fashionable, and bureaucrats take nonsense very seriously), the opera skewers British politics, social climbing, and legal double-talk with a smile that’s anything but innocent.

At the center is the wonderfully useless emperor, the Mikado, whose cheerful devotion to capital punishment is matched only by his talent for pompous nonsense. Around him swirl lovesick young people, terrified officials desperate to keep their own heads attached, and a parade of characters who sing about their own incompetence with astonishing pride. Every song lands like a comic grenade, from rapid-fire patter numbers to mock-sentimental ballads that wink at the audience the whole way through.

Beneath the kimonos and caricature lies a surprisingly modern engine: a comedy about power, hypocrisy, and how systems become ridiculous when rules matter more than people. The Mikado is fast, funny, relentlessly tuneful, and proof that 19th-century opera can still roast authority better than most late-night TV. In short: brilliant music, impeccable timing, and laughs sharp enough to behead complacency—politely, of course.