The Yeomen of the Guard

Although I wished it had included all of the songs from the opera, this production was still a good way to get acquainted with the "Yeomen of the Guard." The sets and costumes were very well-done. Missing from this performance were both of Fairfax's solos, as well as "when a wooer goes a-wooing", "strange adventure" and the duet "Rapture, rapture."

Joel Gray is a very nimble Jack Point. My favorite portrayal was Alfred Marks as Wilfrid Shadbolt. His duet with Gray, "hereupon we've both agreed," was my favorite number. Elizabeth Gale made a very touching Elsie, singing with a lot of emotion. Fairfax did the most he could with his role, considering both of his solos were left out.

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.

Several people have commented on missing songs from this production. In fact the DVD issue is of the US TV version of the operetta, with the introduction by Douglas Fairbanks jnr. But all the songs were in the original version as transmitted by the BBC. US TV (I don't know which network) insisted that the full opera was too long and requested that songs be cut to reduce the running time. Unfortunately what is even worse is that the DVD in the UK is converted from NTSC having been originally shot in PAL then converted to NTSC so has undergone two standard conversions serious reducing the picture quality.

Yeomen of the Guard is especially fine because Joel Grey is such a superb actor who conveys the sadness and folly of loving someone who fails to return your love. It is a melancholy but realistic story of love unrequited. The entire cast is superb. The set is excellent. This is one of the finest Gilbert and Sullivan movies brought to TV.

Give it a try. You will also enjoy this story and its wonderful music.

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.