[Leica] IMG: Protesting "The Mikado"

[pklein at threshinc.com (Peter Klein)]

This pair was protesting and handing out leaflets in front of the 
Seattle Gilbert and Sullivan Society's production of "The Mikado," which 
they regard as "Yellowface" and racist. I accepted their leaflets, but 
when I took out my camera, they concealed their faces.
<https://www.flickr.com/photos/24844563 at N04/14689190055/>

On Monday, a Seattle Times opinion page editor slammed the production, 
which she hadn't seen. This was followed by two radio interviews in 
which she repeated her charges of "Yellowface" and racism. An Internet 
flamefest followed, including calls for a boycott and shutting down the 
show. There were fears that the performance would be disrupted, but that 
didn't happen Friday night, and only these two showed up.

If you're interested in reading more about what's going on, Google these 
words: seattle mikado gilbert sullivan.  You'll find all the relevant 
stuff on the first two pages.

Full disclosure:  Yours truly is not unbiased. I love Gilbert and 
Sullivan, I love "The Mikado," and I played bassoon in the company back 
in the 1980s.  If this were a realistic play with Asian characters being 
played by whites and/or mugging offensive stereotypes, I would be 
sympathetic to the concerns. But that's not what "The Mikado" is. It's 
Brits (or Americans) playing Brits playing dress-up, but mostly acting 
like caricatures of upper-class Brits of 130 years ago.  Nobody wears 
Asian-style makeup, except for Katisha (the fearsome contralto 
character), who is made-up Kabuki-style. The G&S Society has a tradition 
of color-blind casting. No Asian-Americans auditioned for this show, 
there are 38 Caucasians and 2 Hispanics on stage. There are several 
Asian-Americans on the stage crew, one in the orchestra pit (a friend of 
mine), and one on the society's Board of Trustees.

--Peter