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The Yeomen of the Guard
THEATER REVIEW Dashing yeomen of yore take
to Anaheim Hills to dazzle damsels March 8, 2004 The Yeomen is entertainment on a grand and rarely seen scale for the premiere north county small stage that is our backyard Chance Theater. The Chance has staged several highly successful Gilbert and Sullivans in the past, including two Mikados and the Pirates of Penzance. The Yeomen of the Guard, however, is one of G&S’s lesser known pieces, and yet may be their finest, with its tragic plot line underscored by their strongest music, bordering on operatic quality. Opera friends will thus rejoice, but foes should not fret: Yeomen is eminently enjoyable fare even for the uninitiated. Erika C. Miller, in the title role of commoner Elsie Maynard, is also the costumer, and her renditions of the famous beefeaters' garb is nothing short of spectacular, with great attention to the details of the gold embellished red belted tunics with their unique head dress. The warders are doing what they do best, i.e. guarding a soon to be executed prisoner accused of sorcery, handsome Colonel Fairfax (Darren Buckels), to be dispatched in the grand tradition of the infamous Tower of London. The tale takes place in Elizabethan England, and dialogue and set (by Joseph Horn) contribute to an authentic Shakespearean mood, replete with delightful archaisms. So as to avoid his estate falling into the hands of his accuser, Fairfax requests from brooding Wilfred Shadbolt (Michael Buss), that he marries the first lass that comes his way, a condemned prisoner's granted last wish, in the form of Elsie who was promised to jester Jack Point (Jeremy Golden). Meanwhile Fairfax escapes with the help of Phoebe Merryl (Lisa Zaradich and Montica Reeves) who pines for him, and her father Sergeant Merryl (Ray Akin), a senior yeoman. Fairfax then poses as Leonard Merryl, thus becoming Phoebe's brother, and hence unable to marry her even if bigamy were not an issue. Plenty of plots and twists keep the action bouncing toward a dénouement which is not to everyone's satisfaction. If Fairfax and Elsie, legally but blindly married, discover true love toward each other, others are contrived into less than optimal unions to cover the lies in which they are implicated, but to the delight of matronly Dame Carruthers (Myrna Miles), the regal head housekeeper with her splendid black velvet gown, who had long cast her eye on Sergeant Merryl, while Shadbolt had unsuccesfully wooed Phoebe. Director and Choreographer Michael Wallot is no stranger to G&S, which he has loved and performed for ever, and he reunites with the Mikado design team for this endeavor. Rick Friend renews his ties to the Chance with the Musical Direction and Orchestration. The cast's female voices are spectacular, and the chorus gives a strong performance in the closed harmonies, with delightful songs throughout the piece as they parade in processional formation. This is breathtaking pageantry and a truly unique opportunity to experience this secret gem of G&S repertory.
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THEATER ARTICLE The
Yeomen of the Guard March 8, 2004 Perhaps because it is considered the darkest of the many classic works by Gilbert and Sullivan, The Yeomen of the Guard is also one of their least revived pieces. Many though consider it to be Sullivan's finest score, with notable tunes including 'Were I Thy Bride,' 'Rapture, Rapture' and 'I Have a Song to Sing O!' The story involves the escape of a Shakespearean era Colonel sentenced to death for sorcery and imprisoned in the Tower of London. Director Michael Wallot, who was at the helm of the Chance's acclaimed production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Mikado, leads a cast of veteran actors including Jeff Hellebrand, Erika C. Miller and Lisa C. Zaradich.
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THEATER REVIEW 'Yeomen' shows serious side March 26, 2004 Think Gilbert and Sullivan and you'll think of their most durable comic operettas - "The Mikado," "H.M.S. Pinafore" and "The Pirates of Penzance." That reputation for merging beautiful music (by Sullivan) with off-the-wall characters and story lines (by Gilbert) may explain why the team's "The Yeomen of the Guard" is so rarely staged. Though cut more or less from the same cloth, this 1888 musical is far closer to authentic grand opera than anything else in the duo's body of work. Over the past few seasons, The Chance Theater has staged all the major Gilbert and Sullivan shows and, starting with "The Gondoliers" last season, appears to be cycling through some of the team's less-seen operettas. Even if "Yeomen of the Guard" were more widely circulated and familiar to more theater fans, the Anaheim Hills theater's production of it would be well worth seeing. Of all Gilbert and Sullivan's major works, "Yeomen" is the darkest and most operatic, combining lightheartedness with a more serious air. Subtitled "The Merryman and his Maid," it's set in the Tower of London in the late 16th century. The very fact that the tower was infamous for the cruel torture inflicted upon those imprisoned there necessitated that "Yeomen's" tone be nominally less frivolous than something on the order of "Pirates" or "Pinafore." Helming the Chance's show is Michael Wallot, a G&S veteran who has directed and choreographed several of the troupe's previous operettas by the famed duo. Wallot's deep understanding of the show's ambivalent moods is apparent every step of the way in a handsomely mounted staging. It would be easy for a director to veer "Yeomen" more toward mainstream Gilbert and Sullivan by making light of its characters, or to jettison the humor and try to turn the show into authentic opera. Wallot does neither and, in the process, creates a show that has you chuckling one moment, suppressing a lump in your throat the next. "The Mikado" makes great comic hay of the idea of a man (Nanki-Poo) being condemned to death, his sentence to be executed by one (Ko-Ko) with something to gain by his demise. "Yeomen" traces vaguely similar lines - but in this case, the imminent death of Colonel Fairfax (Darren C. Buckels) is all too real, and it can only bring sorrow to Phoebe (Lisa C. Zaradich alternating with Montica Reeves), the young lass who loves him. Her father, Sergeant Meryll (Ray Akin), is the Yeoman of the Guard at the Tower of London where Fairfax is imprisoned under false charges, and he has vowed to help Fairfax escape. Standing in their way is Wilfred Shadbolt (Michael Buss), the Head Jailer whose additional title of "Asst. Tormentor" is meant to clue us in that this brutish galoot is as harmless as Ko-Ko. The subplot involves a makeshift marriage of convenience between Fairfax and Elsie (Erika C. Miller), a singer in a strolling band of entertainers. Offered a dowry of 100 crowns to marry a man she's never met, and guaranteed that he'll be executed before the day is over, she accepts. The fact that Fairfax escapes, woos Elsie and wins her over spells tragedy both for Phoebe and for Jack Point (Jeremy Golden), the strolling jester who had hoped to wed Elsie. Wallot's staging makes us keenly aware of the plight of this heartsick clown, whose sacrifice in the name of love ranks as the most poignant element in the entire G&S canon. Handled more lightly, Phoebe, too, must sacrifice - she's forced to wed the grizzled Wilfred. Even while allowing for Gilbert's many touches of satiric humor, Wallot's well-cast ensemble members enact their roles with utter conviction. With a clear, melodious tenor, Buckels is a suavely cultured, cheerful Fairfax. Miller's Elsie is at once lovely and wistful, and the actress issues powerful yet lilting vocals. Both Golden and Reeves (Phoebe in the production reviewed) have simpler but still effective singing styles, and even in his funniest scenes, the sensitive side of Golden's jilted merrymaker is clearly on display. With blacked-out teeth, a scruffy look and a Cockney dialect, Buss delivers a solid comic characterization as Wilfred. Akin and Marc Sanford are equally solid in their roles as the tower's chiefs, and Myrna Niles is comically severe as the tower's head housekeeper, Dame Carruthers. Almost without exception, Wallot's cast is in fine fettle vocally, and his blocking and choreography create visual interest. Rick Friend's music direction and pre-recorded orchestrations preserve Sullivan's beautiful score even while, of necessity, sounding rigidly canned. Miller's costumes are sumptuous and ornate, while Joseph Horn's all- purpose set design and Casey Long's lighting cleanly do the trick.
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