The Mikado, or, The Town of Titipu by W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan originally opened at the Savoy Theatre, built and owned by Richard D'Oyly Carte, on Saturday 14 March 1885. It ran there for 672 performances, until 19 January 1887. The Mikado became the most successful of Gilbert and Sullivan's to be produced by D'Oyly Carte. It was revived at the Savoy in 1888 and again in 1895 and 1896, when it passed its 1000th performance on 31 October. The cast that night included the principals Scott Fishe, Charles Kenningham, Walter Passmore, Fred Billington, Jones Hewson, and Florence and Beatrice Perry, with Rosina Brandram as Katisha and Jessie Bond as Pitti-Sing, the roles they created and played in all the early revivals.

D'Oyly Carte was a brilliant publicist. To mark the 1000th performance of an opera set in Japan, he provided programmes in the form of souvenir Japanese fans. The cast list and scene details were printed on fine paper were glued to the fans, which had supplied by Liberty & Co. of Regent Street, well-known importers of goods from Asia. Liberty also provided the fabric for drapes in the theatre.