Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

Chief Characters Yum-Yum, Pitti-Sing, Peep-Bo, Katisha, Nanki-Poo, Ko-Ko, Pooh-Bah, Pish-
Tush, The Mikado
NANKI-Poo, son of the Mikado, arrives in Titipu, disguised as a " Wandering Minstrel," seeking
Yum-Yum, whom he loves, and who is the ward of Ko-Ko, a cheap tailor, who is Lord High
Executioner, and to whom he now learns she is to be married. He receives this information from
Pooh-Bah, the Lord High Everything Else; and presently a bevy of pretty schoolgirls enier,
amongst whom are Yum-Yum and her two friends, Pitti-Sing and Peep-Bo. Yum-Yum rushes into
the arms of Nanki-Poo, who now explains his rank and position to her. He has been condemned to
death by his royal father for refusing to marry Katisha, an elderly and designing lady of the court,
but having succeeded in making his escape he joined the Town Band of Titipu as Second
Trombone, in which capacity he met the pretty school-girl Yum-Yum and fell in love with her.
They are now much upset because the latter has to wed Ko-Ko, but the Lord High Executioner is
presently filled with consternation on receiving a message from the Mikado, who declares that
unless an execution takes place in Titipu within the next month his high office shall be abolished.
He endeavours to persuade Pooh-Bah or Pish-Tush to afford him an opportunity of exercising his
new profession; but as they decline to oblige him, suggesting that he might cut off his own head as
a last resource, he is in despair. When, therefore, Nanki-Poo presently appears in a doleful state,
about to hang himself because his sweetheart is compelled to wed another, he begs the young man
to kindly undergo decapitation instead, since he is so determined to end his life. Nanki-Poo
consents to be beheaded at the end of the month if in the meanwhile he may marry Yum-Yum, and
enjoy four weeks of bliss with her. Ko-Ko therefore agrees to postpone his own marriage for a
month, when he may still wed Yum-Yum, who will then be a widow; and the matter is amicably
settled. In Act 2 Yum-Yum is seen finishing her wedding toilet with her merry girlfriends. Nanki-
Poo enters, and whilst both are expressing delight at the nearness of their happiness Ko-Ko comes
in with bad news. He has just learned that, in accordance with the existing law, when a husband is
beheaded, his widow must be buried alive with him, and as Yum-Yum objects to suffering " such
a stuffy death," Nanki-Poo, in despair, offers to save her by committing suicide that day. As this
would still leave Ko-Ko in his awkward dilemma he arranges to make a false statement of Nanki-
Poos supposed decapitation, and when the Mikado presently arrives in great pomp, he
mendaciously confirms this statement. Meanwhile the Mikado learns that the Wandering Minstrel,
Nanki-Poo, is his own truant son in disguise; and he therefore pours forth his royal wrath upon the
unfortunate Ko-Ko for having executed the heir to the throne, for which terrible deed -he is
doomed to an awful death-" something with boiling oil in it!" Ko-Ko hastily seeks out Nanki-Poo,
who is on the point of eloping with the charming YumYum, to whom he has just been married,
and he implores the young prince to appear before his royal father. But Nanki-Poo refuses to come
to life again since then he will have to wed the bad-tempered old spinster Katisha; but he suggests
that if Ko-Ko cares to take the risk of marrying Katisha himself he will then appear in time to save
him from the "boiling oil." Having no other choice Ko-Ko, very much against his will, pays court
to the domineering and elderly Katisha, who readily consents to accept him in order to escape
spinsterhood, and they are married before Pooh-Bah, who is Registrar amongst his many other
offices. Nanki-Poo then appears before the Mikado, who is so pleased at finding him still alive that
he makes no objection to his union with Yum-Yum, since Katisha, having just married the Lord
High Executioner, is no longer available as a bride. Thus Ko-Ko is saved from his awkward
predicament, and all ends happily.