Adding to the “were Koko and Katisha really in love” train of thought, what about this: Koko and Katisha realize that they are both horrible people who would throw their friends under a bus for personal gain, and they look into each other’s eyes and see the pure selfishness reflected there and it’s true love from then on. BOOM, done.
But…they’re not
OK, maybe they’re not. (Was i tired when i made this post??) But you could play them that way in a production that leaves them happy together. And you have to admit that they are very similar. Koko might not be outwardly violent, but he has no problem whatsoever with making a list of people he would like to off if he had the guts, and he’s undoubtably selfish and pretty much only thinks about himself.
And of course, Katisha tramples people every day, both literally and figuratively. 😀Yes, you certainly could. That would be … interesting…
Is Koko selfish really? He’s got an uncharacteristically healthy self-preservation instinct, but that’s not quite the same thing. But he also hasn’t got a mean bone in his body. As Lord High Executioner he’s all bluster – and yet seems genuinely interested in doing a good job? That’s how I’ve always read the list song at least – he’s made the list because that’s His Job. And he’s made it entirely in humorous generalities of the stereotypically odious because of the aforementioned lack of skeletal nastiness. Contrast the Mikado’s very similar list song, which is laced with a fascinated cruelty that I don’t see in Koko’s. He’s really enjoying concocting outlandish punishments for these hypothetical people.
But the reason I will always go to bat for Koko is his reaction to Nanki-Poo’s attempted suicide. He’s horrified and does everything in his power to talk him out of it – simply because he’s a decent human being. It’s only after they’ve been at it for a while that he realizes that this could work to his advantage – and not just his but the whole town’s: “for every man to aid his clan should plot and plan as best he can.” Right? Not like the gorram Pinafore chorus. Fair-weather bastards.
Koko is constantly scrambling to stay on top of a situation that’s wildly spiraling out of control. A situation that Nanki Poo caused, mind. And he’s consistently practical rather than romantic about it. Yes, he may joke about the buried alive thing a bit, but when push comes to shove it’s “Bother Yum Yum! Take Yum Yum and marry Yum Yum just go away and never come back.” And I’ll deal with cleaning up this mess. Similarly, nobody ever suggests that Poo Bah try to marry Katisha, even though his life is as much on the line as Koko’s.
The fundamental difference between Koko and Nanki Poo is that Koko would rather marry Katisha than die, but Nanki Poo would rather die than marry Katisha. And which of those is more selfish?
Katisha is of course a battleaxe. But she kind of has to be. And yes, she tramples people – but it’s the only way to get people to pay her any attention at all. The younger prettier people spend the whole play laughing in her face. Katisha looks out for herself because nobody else is going to. And honestly that’s true for Koko as well. He puts a lot of effort into worrying about the effects of the unfolding events on a variety of things – himself, the town, Nanki Poo, Yum Yum – but no one at all cares what happens to Koko. Pish Tush even tells him so.
But I do agree that they’re very similar. They’re both people with nominally a whole lot of power who are almost entirely disregarded by the people around them, doing their best in a world that doesn’t remotely care. They both have to take care of themselves first because nobody else is going to.
Man. I would love to see them both go full-on supervillain and just watch the world burn though…
#TeamKoko4Ever
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Mooncustafer 