The Yeoman of the Guard

The Yeomen of the Guard has everything you might expect from a Gilbert and Sullivan show: unrequited love, mistaken identity, and a secret marriage. But much like a strolling jester trying to appease an unappreciative audience, under a façade of light-heartedness and whimsy lies something more clever and more tragic.

Colonel Fairfax is under sentence of death for false accusations of sorcery – but he doesn’t seem to mind. His main priority is to marry a maiden – any maiden – so that his estate will not fall into the hands of the cousin who framed him. When entertainers Elsie Maynard and Jack Point arrive in town, Point is happy to consent to Elsie’s marriage to the Colonel in exchange for 100 crowns and the assurance of Fairfax’s imminent execution. But when Sergeant Meryll and his children help Fairfax to escape, Elsie and Point realise they have stumbled onto a path from which there may be no turning back.

Widely considered to be the darkest and most emotionally engaging of the Savoy Operas, Yeomen offers a glimpse into the bloodthirsty world of Tudor London. For once, even in the fantasy world of light operetta, everything might not be alright in the end…

Note: Wednesday night is our Gala performance with optional post-show drinks. Saturday matinee has a children's fancy dress competition - join us in your best jester or clown outfit!