A heavily draped, crimson velvet curtain swishes up on a set of beautifully painted flats, depicting a traditional courtyard in old Japan. On trots a lavishly costumed line of noblemen, introducing themselves as "citizens of Japan". And with that, we are away, off into Gilbert and Sullivan's gorgeous melodies, mischievously subversive humour and completely daft love story, painstakingly recreated down to the last detail of the original 1885 Savoy production by the newly-revived Carl Rosa Opera, Britain's oldest opera company.

Completely stripped of microphones, complex stage technology and lighting design, a certain lack of projection by the chorus and some of the leading characters is compensated for by oodles of charm, a wonderfully funny central performance by Simon Butteriss as Ko-Ko, a resonant and touching intervention by Susan Gorton's Katisha and Bruce Graham's stately but rather dim-witted Mikado (wickedly rumoured, at the time, to have been a representation of Queen Victoria). The crazy world of spies, corrupt politicians, rich young ladies falling for impecunious musicians and unsuitable arranged royal marriages continues to provoke laughter and instant recognition.

Carl Rosa Opera's The Mikado travels to University Concert Hall, Limerick from September 20th to 22nd and Cork Opera House from September 23rd to 26th.