Stage Play

Not since Milos Foreman's "Amadeus" has there been a film that so captures the genius behind musical composition the way Mike Leigh's "Topsy-Turvy" - the story of Gilbert and Sullivan's creation of "The Mikado" - does. How ironic then that Mr. Forman's most recent "Man on the Moon" is lacking the precise qualities that "Topsy-Turvy" has in abundance. It only takes one lingering glance of a Samurai sword from W.S. Gilbert (a wonderfully pompous, yet fragile Jim Broadbent) to see what made Gilbert start writing "The Mikado" - perhaps the pair's most influential and accomplished work.

Mr. Leigh, even more at the top of his game than "Secrets and Lies", develops an ensemble of players - both in the on-screen "Mikado" and the off-stage antics. There is not an unrealized or extraneous character in the film, and I can't remember a movie that so completely studies the intricacies of bringing a production to the stage. Equal time is given to the costume design (which is beautiful, by the way), the orchestra and the choreography, as well as the acting. In short vignettes, Mr. Leigh captures the sometimes excessive dedication of the artists to the work that they love so much.

The real accomplishment here is how - with very few scenes together - Mr. Leigh manages to develop the working relationship between Gilbert and his reluctant partner Arthur Sullivan (the beautifully flamboyant Allen Corduner). It is Sullivan's desire to write a grand opera (he is tired of the repetition of their most recent work) that inspires Gilbert to try something new. The need for these two artists - both already proficient in their fields - to expand their horizons is palpable. And the cathartic release of seeing "The Mikado" brought to the stage is as delightful as the play itself.