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Birmingham Savoyards’ main annual production this year is The Mikado. Written in 1885 and set in an imaginary Japanese village, The Mikado is one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular operettas. Many of the songs are well known classics and audiences still roll with laughter at Gilbert’s wonderful ability to poke fun at British morals, sensibilities and institutions of the day through his imaginary “Japanese” characters.

The town of Titipu hasn’t had an execution for a while and the Lord High Executioner (KoKo) is informed that his own head may soon be for the chop if the situation isn’t remedied. This poses a double dilemma as KoKo (who can’t even bring himself to kill a fly) either needs to find a suitable volunteer to be beheaded, or face being beheaded himself. And how can an Executioner execute himself? Hilarious!