The Yeomen of the Guard

Do you ever wonder how long videotapes will last? I recorded this from Public Broadcasting (PBS) over 16 years ago, and have no record that I've watched the tape since. It ran almost perfectly. The Closed Captions - essential for G&S productions - were a bit garbled, but that might not be the fault of the tape.

Anyone expecting a typical Gilbert and Sullivan comic operetta is likely to be disappointed or even offended by "Yeomen." It's much more in the Grand Opera tradition, except that the Prima Donna survives. It's pretty much a disaster for some of the other principals, however.

This production is part of the "Compleat Gilbert and Sullivan" made-for-video series of 1982 and thereabouts, made in the UK and distributed in the U.S. through PBS by WGBH-Boston.

This "Yeomen" is very well done and aside from the fact that it's not a "happy-ending" story in some respects, is, in its way, very entertaining. It's well worth seeing, if you can find it.

Joel Grey is remarkably fine as the lead in The Yeomen of the Guard. You probably remember his superb acting in Cabaret with Liza Minnelli. In Yeomen, Joel Grey is equally fine and steals the show with its gaiety and despondency as he loses his girl. This is one of the finer operettas by Gilbert and Sullivan. The songs are quite memorable. I wholeheartedly recommend this to lovers of musicals. Joel Grey is stupendous!

I thought this production was very satisfying dramatically and nearly as satisfying musically. I did have some reservations about Joel Grey who I thought didn't quite have the style (some Broadway shtick crept in now and then, of course.) but he acted very well and on the whole did a "yeoman" job. Even though Elizabeth Bainbridge was a very dignified Dame Carruthers, her character was perhaps meant to be a bit more of a gorgon. But her approach worked in general. Sets and costumes were excellent.

Apart from missing the ensemble "Strange Adventure" I thought the music was well served. The DVD was nothing special but the irritation quality of Doug Jr. was kept to a minimum except in one spot.

8 out of 10.

Yeomen of the Guard is not my favourite G&S operetta, but it is unique for being a romance and for having the most tragic character of all the characters in Gilbert and Sullivan. The beautiful music that is typical of G&S operetta is still in Yeomen. This production as far as the series of which it comes from is not as dull as Pirates of Penzanze, but it was an uneven production that had its moments. The costumes and sets are quite handsome in look, and musically the production is excellent with assured conducting, a well-balanced chorus and stylish orchestral playing. There are also some great performances. Three stood out, Alfred Marks, Elizabeth Bainbridge and Elizabeth Gale. Marks stole the show for me, as Wilfred he is such a commanding presence. Bainbridge is a more dignified Dame than the gorgon-like one, but this approach worked. And Gale's Elsie is moving and genuinely compassionate, with a Though Tear and Long-drawn that is beautifully sung. Some aspects of the staging worked, the finale of Act 1 and Phoebe/Wilfred's exchange in Act 2 are suitably comedic, and Geoffrey Chard sings his solo in Tower Warders, Under Orders remarkably well. However I was very disappointed in Joel Grey's Jack Point, who comes across as dull and annoying rather than sharp and engaging and his death scene manages to be melodramatic(in the body language) and bland(in the facial expressions). As a singer, he isn't terrible, but he lacks the G&S style, his singing was too Broadway-ish and it sounded as though I was hearing two completely different styles. As Colonel Fairfax, David Hillman tries his hardest, but it's difficult to do that when your best and most crucial music is cut. I try not to fuss about cuts, but there were numbers that were crucial to the plot, and are highlights that a lot of Gilbert and Sullivan fans would watch the production for, that were absent such as When a Woo'er Comes a Wooing. The picture quality is rather drab, not as bad as Pirates of Penzanze, but when the production looks so handsome it does at least deserve picture quality that enhances the handsomeness in alternative to dulling it. I have always loved Gilbert and Sullivan for the witty lyrics and dialogue, as well as the beautiful music and memorable characters, but here some of it seems ham-fisted and therefore not as witty. Overall, uneven and disappointing, but has its bright spots. 6/10 Bethany Cox

A perfect cast in an almost perfect rendition of this masterpiece of tragi-comic operettas, does full vocal and histrionic justice to both Gilbert and Sullivan, with perhaps one exception: Joel Grey. I'm sure most fans would agree that Martyn Green's interpretation of Jack Point is definitive. Grey, wisely in my opinion, makes no attempt to imitate Green, but strikes out on his own — a decision that will please more people than it irritates — to give a far more subtle account of this sad, lonely, self-mocking clown.

However, it's Alfred Marks in the showy role of Wilfred Shadbolt, the assistant torturer, who walks away with both acting and singing honors, although Elizabeth Gale as the newlywed Elsie and Claire Powell as the passionate "sister" Phoebe, are not far behind. A few critics have quarreled with Elizabeth Bainbridge's more dignified Dame, but I thought she carried herself magnificently. To my mind, a panto Dame is out of place in the Tower of London. There is enough humor in the piece already — albeit humor of a cruel, sardonic, sarcastic and satirical sort.

Although intended primarily for television transmission, a great deal of money has been most creatively spent on this production. The costumes, the sets, the crowds of colorful extras constantly dazzle the eye, while Sullivan's captivating and rousing music was never more superbly rendered than it is here by the London Symphony Orchestra. Camera director Dave Heather is to be heartily commended for his excellent work in bringing the full resources at his disposal so persuasively to the small screen. Unlike the usual TV hacks, he uses close-ups sparingly to conserve their dramatic impact and smoothly allows the camera not only to focus on the wider scene but even to employ extended long shots (a double no-no on TV) when these are emotionally warranted.