Introductory Commentary by the Project Author, Abigail Vetrone

Prior to starting this project I had limited knowledge on the Gilbert and Sullivan partnership, by that I mean that my only interaction with any of their renowned operas was a spoof of “Three little maids from school are we” performed on Disney’s The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. Nonetheless, my appreciation for theater, despite my limited expertise on the subject, led me to a collaboration with the Rare Books department at the University of Rochester. 

After some initial research into Gilbert and Sullivan’s most popular comic operas, I decided to focus my research on The Mikado. More specifically, I conducted this independent study, and subsequent digital project, to answer the following: How has The Mikado been adapted throughout the decades in response to the racism that plagues the original? 

Link to The Suite Life of Zack & Cody’s spoof of “Three little maids from school are we” here.