The Mikado?

Question:In The Mikado Nanki Poo is alleged to have gone abroad, to where?

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: In The Mikado Nanki Poo is alleged to have gone abroad, to where?

Knightsbridge.

This was absolutely hilarious to contemporary audiences, as Knightsbridge, a rather hicktown section of London at the time, was the site of a Japanese Cultural travelling exhibition, and had a large contingent of rather charming and deliciously Foreign temporary residents. At that time, London Society was almost painfully ignorant of other cultures, so this was new and exciting.

The idea of a Japanese Prince going Abroad to Knightsbridge was, to use a Victorian phrase, Deucedly funny.

If you have seen the excellent Mike Leigh movie "Topsy Turvy" (and if you have not, why not?) Knightsbridge is the area of London where Mr. Gilbert visits the exhibition.

In most contemporary (to us) productions, Knightsbridge is commonly substituted by the name of a nearby (to the production) humorous-sounding town. Example: I did a production in Los Angeles and the name of the town used was Pomona, which, apart from it's euphony as a name, to LA audiences, is funny because it denotes a less sophisticated (read:hicktown) nearby (well, 60 miles or so, but in SoCal that is nearby) location.

I don't think it is anywhere specific. He's a wandering musician.