The IN Series production of The M.A.K.A.do: Make America Kingly Again! does more than one thing at the same time.
It portrays the Make America Great Again era of the United States as a manic circus in which the people who are charged with governing have shirked all responsibility for that task and focused instead on covering everything within reach with gold leaf and red, white, and blue tulle.
It gives us a classroom demonstration of what an effective satire is, and how it operates.
It brings a measure of comfort and joy to the people in the DMV as we continue pursuing our daily lives under the watch of the National Guard.
It begins a process of making Gilbert and Sullivan performable again.
The plot of The M.A.K.A.do concerns the mismanagement of the town of Splitintu under the governance of the sleazy Koch-Co (Andrew Adelsberger), who bears a close resemblance to the current White House occupant. We follow what happens when The Maqado (Cecelia McKinley), upon arriving for an inspection, discovers that her beloved, though prodigal, son has been executed. What’s important to know about this delightfully convoluted and silly story is that under Timothy Nelson’s direction, the silliness of this show becomes futile to resist.
For example, when (the very local and very African American) John Solomon Collins (Pish Tush, a Splitintu governmental official) rises up from beneath a table in response to an inquiry and affirms his willingness to participate in singing “Madrigals?!” all of my defenses against the silliness of this show collapsed. I too sang madrigals in high school. And Collins’ Pish Tush accurately articulated our common pain.
In addition to being embarrassingly funny, the show is sung both very well and with a brash enthusiasm that is uplifting. The already gorgeous sound of the singers and the musicians is enhanced by the resonance of The Kogod Cradle in the Arena Mead Center for American Theater where the production is mounted.
There is an abundance of glamorous cross-dressing and drag in The M.A.K.A.do. Countertenor Hunter Shaner (also known by some intimates as an “Emmy award-winning drag queen”) portrays the scorned and crazed Kitty-KatiShaw while Robin McGinness maintains the more corporate drag of Poo-Bah.
One of the performers noted: “When we laugh at the people in power we strip them of their power.”
Everybody who put this project of laughter together deserves our appreciation for it.
Running Time: Approximately two hours and 20 minutes with a 15-minute intermission.
In DC: The M.A.K.A.do: Make America Kingly Again!, presented by IN Series, plays through October 18, 2026, in The Kogod Cradle at the Arena Mead Center for American Theater, Washington, DC. Tickets are available online and at TodayTix.
In Baltimore: The M.A.K.A.do: Make America Kingly Again!, presented by IN Series, also plays October 23–25, 2026, at Baltimore Theater Project, 45 W Preston St, Baltimore, MD. Tickets are available by phone at (410) 752-8558 or online.
The M.A.K.A.do:
Make America Kingly Again!
An Operatico-Politco-Buffo-Satirico…
Based on The Mikado by Gilbert and Sullivan (London, 1885)
New English texts by Bari Biern
Timothy Nelson: Stage Director
Dana Scott: Musical Director
CAST
Hayley Abramowitz: Peep-Bo
Andrew Adelsberger: Koch-Co
Melanie Ashkar: Pitti-Sing
John Solomon Collins: Pish-Tush
Teresa Ferrara: Num-Num
Robin McGinness: Poo-Bah
Cecelia McKinley: The Maqado
Hunter Shaner: Kitty-KatiShaw
Greg Cliskovitch: Yankee-Poo
SEE ALSO:
Timothy Nelson tells how IN Series’ season opener sings truth to power (Feature by Timothy Nelson, September 30, 2026)
Scene from IN Series’ ‘The M.A.K.A.do: Make America Kingly Again!’ Photo by Bayou Elom.
