The Yeomen of the Guard show review
A cast of 29 from Mostly G&S presented The Yeomen of the Guard in concert at the Oakwood Centre, Woodley, Reading on 22-23 October to two full houses. Here is a reminder of the show.
What reviewer Barry Theobald said
Act 1 of The Yeomen of the Guard
Under the musical direction of John Lawes, this concert version of Gilbert and Sullivan’s well-known work was presented by Mostly G & S, a new society formed last year to bring together people interested in singing operetta who do not necessarily wish to perform the work as a fully-staged production. Stripped of all the costumes and scenery normally associated with such shows we experienced a production where the music and libretto became the principal focus.
Clever staging and movement devised by Jill Morgan enabled the principal singers to come to the fore when appropriate and then return to sing with the ladies and gentlemen of the chorus. Jeff Trim, who narrated the storyline normally conveyed by the spoken words of the characters, had also researched into the origins of the show to find a further musical item “A Laughing Boy But Yesterday” that was deleted after just one week of the opening run, adding a further dimension to the show for diehard Savoyards such as me.
What the audience said
“We thoroughly enjoyed the performance of Yeomen of the Guard. Matthew (age 12) was very moved by the performance and he is already keen to book for the April Performance! Please convey our appreciation to the cast and chorus, all of whom turned in an excellent performance which made for a thoroughly enjoyable evening of entertainment.
About The Yeomen of the Guard
Closing scene in The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard was written at a time when Arthur Sullivan was ever more determined to pursue his desire to compose serious works and Gilbert had to court him with a libretto that offered a different angle; perhaps for that reason this operetta, the 11th of the 14 G&S collaborations, is unusually dark.
Set in the Tower of London in the 16th Century, the story centres on a Colonel condemned to be executed for sorcery. There are increasingly complicated attempts to spare his life and to avoid his estate falling into the hands of a scurrilous relative. As with many Gilbert plots the plans involve marriages and a healthy smattering of humour but unusually the show also closes with the unrequited love of one of the principal characters.
Sullivan’s score drew much admiration when first heard in 1888 and more than 120 years on many of the tunes are recognisable. To add to the occasion Mostly G&S restored one of the songs cut from the original score, A Laughing Boy, which was originally sacrificed to decrease the number of sentimental numbers near the beginning of the show.
Dramatis Personae
Sir Richard Cholmondeley (Lieutenant of the Tower) — Rod Whyte
Colonel Fairfax (under sentence of death) —Steve McAdam
Sergeant Meryll (a Yeoman of the Guard) — Jeff Trim
Leonard Meryll (his son) — Barrie Seaman
Jack Point (a Strolling Jester) — Iain Whittaker
Wilfred Shadbolt (Head Jailor and Assistant Tormentor) — Mark Williams
First Yeoman — John Dimmock
Second Yeoman — Barrie Seaman
Elsie Maynard (a Strolling Singer) — Maggie Lowe
Phoebe Meryll (Sgt.Meryll’s daughter) — Kathryn Marshall
Dame Carruthers (Housekeeper to the Tower) — Jane Andrews-Wilson
Kate (Her Niece) — Antonia Durrant
Chorus
Bruce Bailey, Sheila Baxter, Adam Berridge, Dorothy Bessant, Doreen Blake, Bill Cranmer, Julie Cranmer, Jenny Dimmock, Judy Greenwood, Janet Hayhoe, Mike Hayhoe, Annie Whittaker, Christine Imber, Ken Imber, Sue Jones, Derek Northeast, Molly West, Gillian Whyte.
Production
Staging — Jill Morgan
Musical direction — John Lawes
Script — Jeff Trim
Pianist — Anton Gwilt
Persussion — Paul Netherton
Rehearsal pianists — Len David and David Harrison
Lighting design, rigging and operation — Kim Hollamby
Programme — Barrie Seaman
Acknowledgements
Dorothy Bessant, Judy Greenwood and Linnea Vaughan for their continuing help behind the scenes.
The Staff at the Oakwood Centre.
Gallery
Click on the images to see a larger version.
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- Jeff Trim and Kathryn Marshall performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Jeff Trim performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Iain Whittaker and Maggie Lowe performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Iain Whittaker and Maggie Lowe performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Iain Whittaker and Maggie Lowe performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Maggie Lowe performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- The men of Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Steve McAdam, Kathryn Marshall and John Dimmock performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Jane Andrews-Wilson performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Jeff Trim, Jane Andrews-Wilson, Antonia Durrant and Steve McAdam performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Jane Andrews-Wilson, Maggie Lowe and Kathryn Marshall performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Maggie Lowe performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Maggie Lowe and Iain Whittaker performing with Mostly G and S in the Yeomen of the Guard
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- Closing scene of the Mostly G and S production of The Yeomen of the Guard
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- Mostly G and S applauds the orchestra at the end of the show
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- Closing scene in The Yeomen of the Guard
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- Act 1 of The Yeomen of the Guard
Tags: Gilbert, Sullivan, The Yeomen of the Guard