The Yeoman of the Guard

Set against the backdrop of the Tower of London in Shakespearean times, THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD tells the story of Colonel Fairfax, who has been sentenced to die in an hour on a false charge of sorcery.  To avoid leaving his estate to his accuser, and with the help of the Lieutenant of the Tower, he secretly marries Elsie, a strolling singer who expects to be a well-paid widow in an hour.  With the help of the Meryll family, Fairfax escapes, throwing the Tower and the astonished Elsie into despair.  This causes the entire town to erupt and the search for the missing prisoner begins.  However, the disguised Fairfax woos Elsie and in the end she loves Fairfax and jilts her intended husband, the jester Jack Point.  This tale of mistaken identity and betrayal features favorite songs such as “Were I Thy Bride”, “Rapture, Rapture”, and “I Have a Song to Sing O!”  The lush score is the nearest that Gilbert and Sullivan’s work together has come to Grand Opera.