Opera della Luna is an operatic company which is renowned for its modern takes on vintage operas, and The Mikado was no exception.

Opera della Luna, who perform all of their productions in English, brought its inventive touch to Gilbert & Sullivan's classic comic opera, placing it in the flashy world of modern fashion houses.

A tale of love, death and flirting and with character names such as Nanki-Poo, Pooh-Bah and Yum-Yum, The Mikado, which is set in Japan, promised to have you laughing from the outset.

The show's opening could have been stronger - mainly due to the difficulty of hearing the vocals over the talented, if a little loud, orchestra. However, after this the show only got better - combining humour, modern ad-libs and current affairs with the traditional Mikado storyline.

With a talented cast of seven this unusual theatre company kept the audience on its toes with the second half decidedly better than the first, and despite being slow in places the performance was generally well paced and had the audience laughing along with the many well-placed jokes and innuendos.

Overall The Mikado was a strong production that had everything to please hardened traditionalists and operatic newcomers alike.

BROOKE NOLAN The Mikado , Theatre Royal Winchester