The Mikado in Japan
The Mikado in Japan
This chapter provides an overview of the Japanese production of The Mikado, which define a much more modest yet important aspect of the opera’s racial history. Having Japanese actors in The Mikado challenges the logic of its racial impersonation. These productions are framed not only by their rarity within a world overwhelmingly populated by yellowface versions of The Mikado, but also by the long history of resistance to the opera on the part of Japan. It argues that the first twentieth-century production of The Mikado in Japan was staged less as musical exchange and more as a military exercise by the U.S. occupation forces. In closing, it is wise to keep in mind that there is no one Japanese response to the opera.
Keywords: Japanese production, The Mikado, racial impersonation, racial history, opera, yellowface, Japan
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