The Mikado Sat., April 9, 7:30 p.m. The Mikado's rousing and recognizable music by Arthur Sullivan combines with W.S. Gilbert's political satire to create possibly the most popular of all Gilbert & Sullivan's operettas. The exotic Japanese locale serves as window dressing for a satire of human nature and political hypocrisy inherent in any time and place, which is at the core of this comic masterpiece. Cast: Lester Senter, William Fulton, Heather Clancy Allen and more. Thalia Mara Hall, 201 E. Pascagoula St. $20-$50, 877-MSOPERA. www.msopera.org