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The Yeomen Of The Guard

Author: Marie Coltman

Information

Date

25th September 2025

Society

Christchurch G & S Society

Venue

The Regent Centre, Christchurch

Type of Production

G&S

Director

David Sandham & Adam Davis

Musical Director

Ieuan Davies

Choreographer

Adam Davis

Assistant Choreographer

Lucy Smith

Written By

Gilbert and Sullivan

The Yeomen of the Guard by Sir Arthur Sullivan and WS Gilbert is a great comic opera. Not having seen this one before I was really looking forward to seeing the production. The libretto & score is very good and you really get the story, which makes it easy to understand right from the start what's happening. This went down very well with the audience.

Musical Director Ieuan Davies has a great orchestra under his control which makes a wonderful sound. The musical numbers and singing are all just right. Directors David Sandham & Adam Davis have a great cast for the production, the set is simple but effective, there are some nice backcloths. Sound and lighting are just right. Chorus movement and dancing was also good. The costumes are very colourful, especially the Yeomen's uniforms.

Set in the Tower of London during the 16th century. Colonel Fairfax has been imprisoned in the Tower. He is under sentence of execution on a trumped-up charge of being an alchemist and sorcerer. The action takes place on the day of his execution and for a few days following. Mark Ward plays Wilfred Shadbolt the head Jailor with great comic timing, he has an eye for Phoebe Meryll the daughter of the Sergeant of the Guard played by Susy Davies. She's not really interested in Wilfred, but there are some funny moments between them, especially when she has to cosy up to him to steal the keys to the cells. I liked the opening song. Mike Billington plays Sergeant Meryll along with Julie Gower as Dame Carruthers both notable performances & good singing, also we saw Helen Wright in a fun cameo role as the Dame’s niece (Roz Golbey takes the matinee show). Alan Ponting is convincing as Sir Richard Cholmondeley the Lieutenant of the Tower, Anthony Marquis plays the condemned Colonel Fairfax - he has a great singing voice. Adam Davis plays the strolling Jester Jack Point, he has a great stage presence and good voice. There are some great fun moments especially when he tries to teach Wilfred to be a Jester. I loved their 'Hereupon We’re Both Agreed' song. Catherine Smith plays the strolling singer Elsie Maynard, she has a great soprano voice and plays her part well. She works with Jack Point travelling around the town entertaining. I liked 'A Man Who Would Woo a Fair Maid' sung between Elsie, Phoebe and Fairfax. The chorus all worked & sung well together, the Yeomen all looked very smart in their red uniforms.

A great evening's entertainment. Well done to you all.

THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD

 Christchurch G&S Society    Regent Centre, Christchurch 

  KD Johnson  25 September 2025

Compared to this Society’s recent productions of The Pirates Of Penzance and HMS Pinafore, The Yeomen Of The Guard is one of the Savoy Operas that gets performed less often. However, this comic opera of 1888 is regarded as one of Sir Arthur Sullivan’s best scores and the libretto by WS Gilbert is slightly less nonsensical than usual. It certainly went down well with tonight’s audience.

When so many amateur societies are stuck with no live musicians and having to perform from relentless backing tracks (I write from experience), Christchurch G&S somehow manages to field up to 18 live musicians under the direction of Musical Director Ieuan Davies. The sumptuous sound is apparent from the Overture, with the brass section and woodwind foremost. Sir Arthur would have been pleased.

I read the libretto in advance of tonight’s performance but, for those who don’t know the story, the opera is set in the Tower of London during the 16th century. Colonel Fairfax is imprisoned in the Tower under sentence of execution on a trumped-up charge of being an alchemist and sorcerer. The action takes place on the scheduled date of his execution and for a few days following.

The curtains open to reveal a static set of The Tower on the backcloth, a town gate to the right, and another building and door to the left. For a reason which also escaped me in the libretto, there is a spinning wheel on stage, which appears briefly in the opening scene and then is seen no more. Top marks to whoever created that excellent prop.

The principals in this production are very good indeed; they include regulars: Mark Ward as the gaoler and Assistant Tormentor (read torturer), Wilfred Shadbolt, and Susy Davies as Pheobe Meryll, daughter of the Sergeant of the Guard. Both Mark and Suzy’s comic expressions and movements are a joy to behold – not necessarily easy to achieve while singing. I particularly enjoyed the moment when Wilfred appears to catch his finger in his own thumbscrew. But Suzy’s wincing, squirming and retching, while cosying up to Wilfred in order to steal the keys to the cells, is also noteworthy.

Alan Ponting plays a convincingly authoritarian part as Sir Richard Cholmondeley (pronounced “Chumlee”), the Lieutenant of the Tower, but new to the company in a leading role is Antony Marquis, playing the condemned man, Colonel Fairfax. He has an excellent tenor singing voice, and I hope to see (and hear) more of him in future productions.

Familiar face, Adam Davis, plays the role of Jack Point, a strolling jester who is reminiscent of several of Shakespeare’s tragi-comic fools. There is a fine piece of slapstick as he attempts to teach Wilfred how to be a jester, but he also evokes pathos as his romantic plans are thwarted. I do really want to know what the difference is between a cook’s brainpan and an overwound clock – but I think it is intended to remain unanswered.

The subtitle of the piece is The Merryman and His Maid and, if Point is the ‘Merryman’, then Catherine Smith, as the strolling singer Elsie Maynard, is ‘His Maid’ … at least at the start. Catherine’s stunning soprano voice and personality really lights up this part. Also notable are the performances of Mike Billington as Sergeant Meryll and Julie Gower as Dame Carruthers, but mention must go to the amusing cameo played (in this performance) by Helen Wright, as Dame Carruthers’ niece, Kate.

Musically at least, Act I is largely procedural; the best numbers are in Act II. Probably my favourite is a very fine performance of ‘Strange Adventure!’, sung in four parts between Sergeant Meryll, Kate, Fairfax and Dame Carruthers. Another great song is ‘A Man Who Would Woo a Fair Maid’, sung between Elsie, Fairfax and Phoebe, while ‘Hereupon We’re Both Agreed’ (appearing in my notes as “A Tale of Cock and Bull”), between Point and Wilfred, is lots of fun.

Although there are some good performers among the minor parts and chorus, compared to the principals, they appear under-rehearsed and are occasionally slow and lacklustre to come in at the start of their songs – this is, of course, opening night, so perhaps it will pick up. A shame though this is, it doesn’t detract much from what is an entertaining and well produced show, with some top-flight acting and singing.

HMS Pinafore

DATE 29th September 2023 SOCIETY Christchurch G & S Society

VENUE Regent Centre Christchurch TYPE OF PRODUCTION G&S

DIRECTOR Sarah Oliver MUSICAL DIRECTOR Ieuan Davies CHOREOGRAPHER Adam Davis

Report Author: Martin Stephen

This production of HMS Pinafore was not only an absolute delight, full of fun, humour, energy, drama and pathos, but a very impressive achievement indeed. The Director, Sarah Oliver, (who also appeared at times in the Chorus) had made the bold move of setting it in contemporary times aboard a submarine, with an updated libretto, and the result was a wonderful triumph. Bravo, Sarah, and congratulations to everyone involved in helping her to realise her creative and ambitious vision and interpretation! What was more, the whole performance was done without microphones and amplification. The singing was clear and superbly-projected, which in the very large space of The Regent Theatre was very impressive indeed. For me that was a particularly
pleasure as I do so much prefer it if a performance can be delivered without microphones.
There was a hint of the contemporary setting on the cover of the programme (a very good programme, by the way), with ‘HMS Pinafore’ written in a modern typeface, and with a couple of the photos inside, but I was just not prepared for the awesome (not a word I think I’ve ever used before but fully merited here) set that was revealed when the curtains went back. The bridge deck of a submarine had been created in brilliant detail, including a very striking radar display screen with moving illuminated images. The only downside of this feature was that, being so central and so striking, the changing display could at times be a slight distraction from the wonderful performances. In the grand scheme of the stunning set, though, that was really neither here nor there and the ‘wow’ factor increased when the curtain went back for the second half and it was apparent that the bridge deck had now been transformed into the torpedo room! I loved the touches of Buttercup arriving in Act 1 on top of the sub in a rubber dinghy, and in Act 2 through one of the torpedo tubes, wearing mask and flippers! There was also a clever use of a film clip of Buttercup swimming underwater, shown just after she had been ‘fired’ from a torpedo tube by the Captain. During Act 2 the torpedo room was transformed at lightning speed back to the bridge deck, showing how cleverly and creatively it had all been designed. Well done indeed to all of the set team on an amazing job.
After a charming and entertaining travelogue of slides depicting the sub’s journey across the world to Portsmouth, accompanying the overture, the Men’s Chorus of submariners (carrying iPads/tablets instead of clipboards) delivered a rousing rendition of “We sail the ocean blue”, during which Buttercup arrived on deck in her rubber dinghy. Selling prophylactics as well as baccy in this updated version, The actress gave a superb performance as Buttercup. She sang “Hail Men o’Wars Men” with verve and humour and as well as being a strong singer, in all of her songs, she was excellent in her comic acting. So too was Dick Deadarm (an injury to Mark’s arm during rehearsals requiring the use of a sling having prompted the change of name from Dick Deadeye). With a great voice, confident acting and great timing he could hold the stage whatever he was doing, including giving a very neat summary for the audience of the plot so far. He was just the right rascally counterpoint to the ‘straight’ naval characters. Indeed all the cast, including Men’s Chorus and Ladies’ Chorus, were strong in both singing and acting and this, combined with the joy and energy of the updated script and setting, meant that the show really held together and the pace didn’t drop. There was a great  Botswain/Bosun, in both acting and singing, and his rendition of “For he is an Englishman” was very stirring. I also really enjoyed his harmony singing in ‘A British Tar’. He was ably accompanied in this by his Botswain’s Mate, Carpenter, who gave a strong performance and was always enjoyable to watch. Captain Corcoran was played with commanding authority and aplomb. In “My Gallant Crew, Good Morning”, which he sang particularly well, he really brought out the humour, and his transition at the end from Captain to a Dorset sailor/Ordinary Seaman was very amusing. Sir Joseph ws played magnificently, entering to the sound of The Beatles’ YellowSubmarine. He showed masterful proficiency and bags of gusto in the challenging song “When I was a lad”,with its updated lyrics referring to Zoom and Amazon Prime.

One of Sarah Oliver’s inspired directorial decisions in this production was to extend the role of Hebe, Josephine’s companion, giving her more words than in the usual libretto of HMS Pinafore. Played very skilfully, she not only acted as a perfect foil for Josephine, her down-to-earth character contrasting neatly with Josephine’s, but sang superbly and was a delightful, funny character in her own right, chipping in with nice comic touches like her aside to Josephine about Ralph: ‘he’s so fit’.

The two romantic leads, Ralph Rackstraw and Josephine (were simply stunning. Both of them displayed a great range of emotion and they were worked perfectly together, their relationship
and mutual attraction being clear and very believable. They also interacted brilliantly with the other principals, adding great depth to all of the scenes and scenarios in which they appeared. Both were superb in their singing, their acting was always a treat and their clarity and projection in that large auditorium were impeccable. Ralph’s opening song was a tour-de-force in which he gave not only massive oomph and volume but also strong feeling. He is a fine actor and I really enjoyed how he could move seamlessly from giving a strong retort to Dick Deadarm to a sentimental, loving interaction with Josephine. She also wowed the audience from the get-go, with her acting and singing. Her solo song ‘Sorry Her Lot Who Loves Too Well’ was wonderfully delivered, her whole demeanour presenting a sadness inside, and it set the standard for the rest of her performance, Her mastery of acting was evident from the way in which she maintained a stillness on stage when it mattered, focussing the audience’s attention. Her solo “The Hours Creep On Apace”, contrasting a comfortable life with one of poverty but with love and with an amusing reference to TV, was a triumph and had the audience gripped, and she and Ralph really showed their strengths in their duet “Refrain, AudaciousTar”.
The chorus numbers were well handled and there was some delightful choreography. The Choreographer, Adam Davis (adding this role to that of Ralph, well done indeed!) had the challenge of the restrictions imposed by the submarine setting, and he succeeded admirably. I particularly enjoyed the choreography in “Carefully on Tip-toe Stealing”, which also included some entertaining clips of cartoon cats on film, and in the rousing Finale of Act 1, “Can I Survive This Overbearing”.
The trios all worked very well indeed, and, without wanting to take credit from any of the others (all good), I noted especially ‘Kind Captain’ sung by Hebe, Corcoran and Deadarm, which was almost like a folk song, and the lovely trio with Corcoran, Sir Joseph and Josephine drinking champagne. In this it was very amusing to see the bottles of champagne became steadily larger, with Sir Joseph chucking one of them behind him and it being expertly caught by one of the sailors.
The contemporary setting, in a submarine, and the updating of the libretto were very imaginative, added a great deal of humour and made the whole thing more accessible for the audience. The Orchestra was excellent and Ieuan Davies did a fantastic job as both Musical Director and Conductor, covering in the latter role a very wide orchestra area with musicians having to be spread all the way across to the far ends. The lighting design and operation enhanced the overall effect of the sets and the moods and the Front of House team was superb, giving us all a very warm welcome.
Congratulations to all on an innovative, entertaining production and thank you for a very enjoyable evening.
Martin Stephen
Representative, District 11, South West Region
National Operatic and Dramatic Association