Hot Mikado is a musical comedy, based on Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado, adapted by David H. Bell (book and lyrics) and Rob Bowman (orchestrations and arrangements). After researching the 1939 Broadway musical, The Hot Mikado, Bell and Bowman created a new adaptation, Hot Mikado.
The original production ran from March 18–July 27, 1986 at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, DC, where Bell was artistic director. Bell directed and choreographed the production. The musical also had an early Chicago production. The show was subsequently revived several times and finally ran in London’s West End in 1995. It has enjoyed many additional productions in North America and the UK since then.