{"id":6149,"date":"2017-02-17T09:03:27","date_gmt":"2017-02-17T14:03:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6149"},"modified":"2017-02-17T09:03:43","modified_gmt":"2017-02-17T14:03:43","slug":"the-swing-mikado-gilbert-and-sullivan-reinvented-in-1938","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=6149","title":{"rendered":"The Swing Mikado: Gilbert and Sullivan Reinvented in 1938"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>

Cast photo of Swing Mikado, Chicago, 1938. Federal Theatre Project photographs #C0205 Box 46, Folder 17<\/p><\/div>\n

Here in the Special Collections Research Center, we are gearing up for #GandS2017 – our celebration of all things Gilbert and Sullivan, culminating in the opening of an exhibit of materials from the David and Annabelle Stone Gilbert and Sullivan Collection.<\/p>\n

One of Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular comic operas is\u00a0The Mikado; or, The Town of Titpu.\u00a0<\/em>It opened on March 14, 1885 and ran for 672 performances as a production of the famous D’Oyly Carte Opera Company.<\/p>\n

The Mikado\u00a0<\/em>remains popular, and in the years since it opened, has been updated and re-imagined. In 1938,\u00a0The Swing Mikado\u00a0<\/em>premiered in Chicago as a production of the Works Progress Administration’s Federal Theatre Project. The production was conceived and directed by Harry Minturn, with swing re-orchestrations of Sullivan’s music by Gentry Warden. First staged by an all-black company in Chicago, it became a huge hit with audiences black and white alike. It also featured a live swing orchestra. The show was later produced on Broadway to similar acclaim.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

Cast photo of Swing Mikado, Chicago, 1938. Federal Theatre Project photographs #C0205 Box 46, Folder 17<\/p><\/div>\n

The Federal Theatre Project itself was a New Deal program to fund live artistic programs during the Great Depression, one of numerous relief measures to employ artists, writers and theatre workers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Here in the Special Collections Research Center, we are gearing up for #GandS2017 – our celebration of all things Gilbert and Sullivan, culminating in the opening of an exhibit of materials from the David and Annabelle Stone Gilbert and Sullivan Collection. One of Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular comic operas is\u00a0The Mikado; or, The Town of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[22,25,3,5,121],"tags":[443,25,441,442,92],"class_list":["post-6149","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-exhibits","category-federal-theatre-project","category-news","category-scrc-interest","category-scrc-picks","tag-comic-opera","tag-federal-theatre-project","tag-gands2017","tag-gilbert-and-sullivan","tag-theatre"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8Ep5i-1Bb","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5189,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5189","url_meta":{"origin":6149,"position":0},"title":"Gilbert & Sullivan Come to Mason Libraries","author":"admin","date":"December 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"George Mason University has announced the intention of benefactor David Stone to bequeath his massive collection on Gilbert and Sullivan to the University Libraries\u2019 Special Collection & Archives.\u00a0 In a Mason News story by Corey Jenkins Schaut at http:\/\/newsdesk.gmu.edu\/2014\/10\/gilbert-sullivan-collection-make-home-mason\/, the collection is described as \u201ca treasure trove of Gilbert and\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"IMG_1784_small","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/IMG_1784_small.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11868,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11868","url_meta":{"origin":6149,"position":1},"title":"Gems from Gilbert & Sullivan","author":"Amanda Menjivar","date":"April 17, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This post was written by Chance Jimenez, Performing Arts GRA. W.S. (William Schwenck) Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan were a duo whose collaborations transformed Victorian-era theatre, producing fourteen comic operas from 1871-1896. After 1881, their operas were showcased at the Savoy Theatre, constructed by Richard D\u2019Oyly Carte, a passionate supporter of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "recent acquisitions"","block_context":{"text":"recent acquisitions","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=4"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gs003-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gs003-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gs003-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gs003-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gs003-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/gs003-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3357,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=3357","url_meta":{"origin":6149,"position":2},"title":"Reprocessing the Federal Theatre Project – Radioscripts","author":"admin","date":"April 9, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"In support of JAM (Jazz Appreciation Month) I\u2019ve selected two scripts from the Federal Theatre Radio Division of the Federal Theatre Project (FTP) to highlight in this update on reprocessing the FTP.\u00a0 In the radio script series we have over 200 original scripts used for radio productions. These productions are\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Federal Theatre Project"","block_context":{"text":"Federal Theatre Project","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=25"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/story_of_swingRadioscripts-300x201.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":11798,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=11798","url_meta":{"origin":6149,"position":3},"title":"From the Archives: The Corgi Skateboard","author":"Meghan Glasbrenner","date":"February 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"This blog post was written by Maris Tiller, SCRC Research Services GRA. Maris\u00a0a Graduate student pursuing her Master's in Creative Writing with a concentration in fiction. \u00a0 Among the books and manuscripts found within SCRC's archives, there are also artworks and artifacts.\u00a0One such artifact is this prop, which belongs to\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2019.022_Gilbert-and-Sullivan-less-than-16-mb-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2019.022_Gilbert-and-Sullivan-less-than-16-mb-scaled.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2019.022_Gilbert-and-Sullivan-less-than-16-mb-scaled.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2019.022_Gilbert-and-Sullivan-less-than-16-mb-scaled.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2019.022_Gilbert-and-Sullivan-less-than-16-mb-scaled.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/2019.022_Gilbert-and-Sullivan-less-than-16-mb-scaled.jpg?resize=1400%2C800&ssl=1 4x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5279,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=5279","url_meta":{"origin":6149,"position":4},"title":"Exhibition, The Pirates of Penzance: Memorabilia of the 19th, 20th, and 21st Centuries","author":"admin","date":"April 9, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"George Mason University Libraries benefactors, David and Annabelle Stone, have generously provided an exhibition in the Fenwick Library's A wing display cases to celebrate this spring's student performance of Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. With original materials from their collection, which comprehensively documents the careers of Gilbert and Sullivan\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","block_context":{"text":"Similar post","link":""},"img":{"alt_text":"Designed by Bob Vay with images and creative input from David Stone, this poster promotes Fenwick Library's Pirates of Penzance exhibition","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/vault217.gmu.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/04\/pirates_poster-160x240.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":764,"url":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?p=764","url_meta":{"origin":6149,"position":5},"title":"Newly Recovered Music and Voice Recordings from the 1950s Arts Scene","author":"Bob Vay","date":"July 28, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"During the 1950s the United States and Russia not only competed in terms of military might, they also vied against each other for world influence. Though America may have been on the leading edge of manufacturing, technology, and popular culture; the Soviet Union and its satellite countries in eastern Europe\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/?cat=3"},"img":{"alt_text":"Robert Breen, opening night of Porgy and Bess, 1952","src":"https:\/\/specialcollections.files.wordpress.com\/2009\/07\/breen_lamp1.jpg?w=350&h=200&crop=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6149","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6149"}],"version-history":[{"count":16,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6149\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6155,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6149\/revisions\/6155"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6149"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6149"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vault217.gmu.edu\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6149"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}