Review: 'Yeoman of the Guard'

By Laura Stratford.

Before reading our review listen to the our preview of the production here.

2012 marks the Gilbert & Sullivan society’s 40th anniversary, and they were very excited to put on ‘Yeoman of the Guard’.

We are taken to the age of the Blitz, and this production has more of a contemporary feel. The Tower of London stands impressively on stage, the Yeoman of the Guard’s costumes are redolent of the TV series, ‘Dad’s Army’ and we get the occasional air raid in the background. It would have been nice to see this setting incorporated more into the script; as the show progressed, the big numbers drew your attention away from the radical concept. Transitions betweens scenes could have been smoother, the use of tech felt a little unrehearsed, and dialogue scenes lacked much lighting.

The opening overture, directed by Musical Director, Koki Imada, was well played. In the opening scene, we were met with Pheobe Meryll, played by Lauren Charlton-Mathews, who was probably the strongest actress and singer of the night, portraying well the cunning and sweetness of the good-time girl. There were other good and humorous performances. Sergeant Meryll, played by James Gaughan, was quite funny as the Pheobe’s father, the Yorkshireman devoid of emotions. Jack Point, played by Thomas Bruggenwirth, managed to convey different emotions despite his joker-like character. Dame Carruthers, played by Victoria Stewart, was entertaining as the randy old woman. Despite their efforts, I still felt the cast as a whole were more suited to singing than acting. It was particularly evident that when it came to the chorus songs, they felt at their most comfortable, where there were some beautiful harmonies. Whereas a few of the solos were a times a little off-tune or shaky.

Before this sounds like a damning report, I would like to point out that towards the Second Act, things picked up a little bit. A highlight had to be the chemistry between some of the actors, such as the entertaining ‘Cock & Bull’ waltz of a duet performed by Jack Point and Wilfred Shadbolt (Stijn Hanson). All in all, I may appear to have criticised this production, but I think the slightly lacklustre veneer was only due to nerves.

You can hear our full audio review on YorWorld now here!