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Sneak preview: Richard Suart's little list

by David NiceSaturday, 26 February 2011

Suart's Ko-Ko reads his little list at the last ENO revival of Jonathan Miller's Mikado, 2007

Alastair Muir

Hot on the heels of our feature celebrating 25 years of Jonathan Miller's Mikado at English National Opera, the latest revival of which opens tonight, veteran Savoyard Richard Suart sent through the most recent candidates for the Lord High Executioner's chop as he will be delivering them onstage (with no doubt a twist or two as the run proceeds).

Understandably he didn't want me to spill all the beans, but gave his gracious consent to the preview of a few victims in the latest of his now celebrated spins on Gilbert's lyrics. They include - no prizes for having guessed this one -

The Prime Minister of Italy who seems to have a hunger/For teenage girls and prostitutes and lots of bunga bunga

- nor this -

There's the Speaker of the Commons who can barely reach his seat/And his wife who has been posing all butt-naked in a sheet

and while some of us might take issue with a few targets, no-one is going to feel too sorry for

...the boss of Ryanair who wants us pay to use the loo/O'Leary's on my list - to be sure he's on my list.

If you want any more, you can see for yourself: only a limited number of performances from tonight, so hurry, hurry. Jolly good fun guaranteed.

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