The Hofferber Repertory Theatre presents,
McKado!
Book and Lyrics by Sir William S. Gilbert and Alda Hofferber
Music by Sir Arthur Sullivan.
The show opens with a rousing Wild West Welcome from the
cast, HOWDY! After which everyone disappears: then a hot, dry, desert breeze blows a bounty hunter, Hank E.,
into the drought stricken town of Arroyo Pollo, deep in the desolate heart of Yahoo Territory.
He has come to capture, and get a handsome reward for that capture, Kokomo Joe, an undertaker
who has been convicted of "flirting"; thusly, Hank hopes to also acquire the hand of Koko's
fiance, Miss Y. Yum, the local School Marm. Alas, the course of true love never does run smooth,
for he finds out, from Barkeep, and Pew Bob, the local political machine, that Koko has
been reprieved and elevated in rank to Hanging Judge while the ambitious Pew Bob has taken over
the jobs of all the other politicians who resigned in protest not wanting to serve under the
watchful eye of a former undertaker.
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Hank figures if he has enough money maybe he can coax Koko
into letting HIM marry Miss Y. Yum, so he decides to hunt down another outlaw who might be in
the area: Cactus Jack, a back stabbin', claim jumpin' bad guy wanted for many things, among them
being "molestin' rattlesnakes". Now, Cactus Jack is around, all right, but Hank may have
trouble reconizing him, he is a master of disguise! Other citizen's of Arroyo Pollo include 'Becka,
the late baker's ex-wife, and Margaret, the village student.
Meanwhile Koko keeps getting messages and singing telegrams, from Big Hank McKado
via an overworked Pony Express who has a horse with an attitude, informing him that
he has managed make a deal with the Japanese to get a railway line through so that Arroyo Pollo
will be able to get some water brought in before the town completely dries up and blows away.
And oh, wouldn't it impress the Japanese with how civilized the Wild West was if there were to
be a nice fresh execution: by beheading, not hanging, which the orientals consider droll.
By the way, the reprieve of his death sentence has been revoked.
Not wanting to behead himself, the last person convicted of a capital crime, Koko talks the
despondent Hank, who has given up hope of either getting money or Yum, into being his substitute
and dying in his place at the end of the month. In order to convince Hank to do this Koko has
given him permission to marry the School Marm.
If things weren't bad enough, Katey Shaw shows up. She is an Irish mail order bride that Big Hank
ordered for his wandering son, hoping to settle him down. She finds that she is much more
attracted to the more mature Koko who only reluctanctly finds her to be of marriageable character.
And so the action continues with songs, dances, bombs, duels and even a visit from the Shogun of Japan.
The explosive ending is as window rattling as a vengeful Santa Anna wind slicing through your ears.
Adapted, book and lyrics, by Alda Hofferber
ALBATROSS Cast
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RIME OF
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McKado!
WITCH WHIRL'D
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