Yeoman of the Guard

As the cast of ‘Yeomen of the Guard’ took their final bow, I heard a plaintive voice from the row behind me. ‘But what about the jester?’ a young woman was asking her companions. ‘The poor guy – I want to know what happened to him!’ Her genuine concern for the fate of the broken-hearted Jack Point, left ‘alone and bereft’ at the end of this tale of Tudor-era intrigue, was clear testimony that Gilbert and Sullivan’s only foray into the realm of ‘serious’ opera still has the power to engage and move a new audience, 134 years after its première. This production, KGASS’s first since 2020, had been in preparation since autumn 2021, enduring various delays and changes (enforced both by Covid and by the temporary closure of the Adam Smith Theatre) before finally emerging in a semi-staged version with piano accompaniment. 

As is traditional for KGASS, the show began with a scene-setting film sequence (accompanying an orchestral recording of the stirring overture) which transported the audience to the Tower of London at the time of Henry VIII, introducing the characters in entertaining style and effectively making up for the absence of a set. ‘Yeomen’ is unique in the G & S canon in several respects, not least its opening, in which young Phoebe Meryll sits alone at her spinning wheel, singing a solo of unrequited love. This production departed from convention in fleshing out this scene with a few members of the chorus, plus loutish jailor Wilfred in a short chase sequence, as well as the character of Kate as a confidante – all of which detracted somewhat from the solitary, wistful mood of the song, ably interpreted by Caroline Warburton. Most G and S purists would also query the inclusion of the next musical number, a solo for Wilfred cut before the original run, in which Phoebe’s would-be suitor expounds on his jealousy (even, graphically, of her hapless cat!). Although it gave the capable Greig Hill a fine opportunity to establish his character, it delayed the entrance of the chorus – the Yeomen of the title along with an excitable crowd of Tudor townsfolk. This was when the show really came into its own, as the scene was animated with colour, life and punchy music. We were immediately drawn into the world of the ‘grim old Tower’ and its denizens, and the complex and often dark story of cunning plans and reluctant betrothals unfolded seamlessly thereafter. 

The principal roles were well cast, thoughfully played and sung with conviction. Particularly strong performances were those of Caroline Warburton as a feisty, mischievous Phoebe Meryll, Elaine Young as a strong-minded and ardent Dame Carruthers, Tom Kelman as an enjoyably roguish Sergeant Meryll, Nick Temperley as an arrogant and dashing Colonel Fairfax, and Eliza Twaddle as a touchingly winsome Elsie Maynard, while Robin Ozóg made an affectingly tragi-comic Jack Point (in addition to fulfilling the important role of director). The conversational-style ensembles, where the main characters collude and reflect on the action, were especially effective, and Louise Gibson made an impressive contribution in the small role of Kate, with her sure soprano tones leading the beautiful unaccompanied quartet ‘Strange Adventure’. Among the chorus, special mention is due to Susan Reid, gamely helping out the tenor section in a beefeater outfit and convincing false beard – quite a fitting addition to a story that depends so much on concealed identity. 

With the entire cast on stage, the great set piece of the Act 1 Finale was an undoubted highlight, well sung and filled with dramatic tension, as was the opening of Act 2, climaxing in the chorus’s contrapuntal exchanges, as the hapless warders are scolded for their inability to find the escaped prisoner. The constraints of the performing space naturally led to compromises in the staging, and there was an inventively comic moment in Act 2, when a sign reading ‘Being carried shoulder-high’ was hung around the neck of the allegedly heroic Wilfred, in lieu of any actual, potentially hazardous shoulder-carrying by gentlemen of the chorus. It was however sad (though forgivable) that the famously lump-in-the-throat ending had to be altered – rather than collapsing insensible at the feet of his adored Elsie and her lover Fairfax in the closing bars of music, the distraught Jack Point simply melted into the heedless crowd before disappearing behind a screen. It must also be mentioned that the acoustics of the Old Kirk are far from ideal for a production of this kind, and there were some unfortunate problems of audibility, especially during the spoken exchanges – although both Elaine Young (Dame Carruthers) and Caroline Warburton (Phoebe) deserve plaudits for overcoming this issue with their excellent diction and projection. 

In the face of the venue’s many limitations, the entire company are to be congratulated on their achievement. The experienced cast of principals and chorus succeeded commendably in conveying the drama and pathos as well as the humour of the opera, clearly relishing the joy of presenting a costumed performance once again, and of singing one of Sullivan’s very finest scores.

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