Santa may make a list he checks twice, but Ko-Ko, the Lord High Executioner, has got a little list, too, in the most famous patter song in the most famous Gilbert & Sullivan operetta, The Mikado, a tangled tale of bureaucracy, the rule of law and corruptible officialdom. It sure sounds like Chicago. And that’s the point even if the show is over 125 years old! Light Opera Works hasn’t staged The Mikado in years, so its return is as welcome as flowers that bloom in the spring, given the high musical values that are Light Opera Works hallmarks. Through Dec. 31 only, Cahn Auditorium (Emerson Street at Sheridan Road, Evanston) ; 847-869-6300; $27-$75.