Opera Holland Park & Charles Court docket Opera in Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Yeomen of the Guard

In the course of the overture (written by Sullivan himself and extra complicated than the standard pot-pourri of tunes) we noticed Gilbert writing the opera with the varied characters showing, and Gilbert would make appearances throughout the opera, although maybe extra may have been product of this concept.

The forestage featured footlights, and Savournin’s manufacturing made glorious use of Opera Holland Park’s tough stage format, guaranteeing that the necessary moments have been nicely ahead and utilizing the forestage to separate characters out. The Opera Holland Park refrain, with eight ladies and twelve males, meant that we had an honest variety of Yeomen Warders, and while this was not probably the most lavish of stagings it used assets very successfully, and the readability of Savournin’s course meant that every one the foremost characters have been projected succinctly but strongly.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Yeomen of the Guard – Llio Evans – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Ellie Kurtz)

The Yeomen of the Guard shouldn’t be consciously humorous in the best way different G&S works could be, neither is the satire robust, while Gilbert’s topsy-turvy-dom is probably at its subtlest. However there’s a vein of humour, and Savournin saved this in thoughts when mixing within the extra sober components, in order that in direction of the tip when Darren Jeffery’s Sergeant Meryll was pressured to suggest to Amy J Payne’s Dame Carruthers, Payne’s pleasant smirk of satisfaction was pure pleasure.

Actually, the opera’s pairings are remarkably sober issues. Samantha Value’s Phoebe can also be pressured to confess John Savournin’s Shadbolt in marriage, while the opera’s central joyful pairing of Colonel Fairfax (William Morgan) and Elsie Maynard (Llio Evans/Ellie Laugharne) is marred by the truth that we all know Fairfax to be a horrible flirt, and his remedy of Elsie on the finish is completely horrible making her acquiesce to the wedding while pondering she is giving up Leonard (in actual fact Fairfax in disguise). However then Gilbert doesn’t appear to have had a sanguine view of marriage and Robert Thicknesse’s article within the programme booklet highlights how commentators have lately been reconsidering Gilbert’s older ladies characters, seeing his creations in a extra constructive gentle.

Matthew Kellett’s Jack Level was a extremely bodily creation, with an power that verged on the manic as Kellett emphasised Jack’s desperation, and we by no means actually do witness Jack being genuinely humorous. I’ve a music to sing, O had a touching melancholy to it from the start, which after all returned when Jack sings it on the very finish, and right here Kellett did tug coronary heart strings. For the remainder, he projected Jack’s over eagerness and badly hidden desperation.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Yeomen of the Guard – Amy J Payne – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Ellie Kurtz)

Llio Evans made an enthralling Elsie Maynard, her efficiency genuinely bringing out the character’s innocence. Evans and Ellie Laugharne did miracles of synchronicity of their double efficiency, notably within the dialogue, and for big chunks of the night we have been in a position to overlook the Laugharne was in actual fact within the pit.

Samantha Value’s Phoebe additionally had a component of desperation to her, after we first meet her she is in love with a person she has by no means met (Fairfax) and her solely viable suitor is the cadaverous Shadbolt (Savournin). Value made Phoebe flirtatious and bodily (notably with Morgan’s Fairfax as Leonard) however saved the vein of seriousness too, a sober stability to Elsie’s innocence. Savournin performed Shadbolt’s darkish humour to the hilt, additionally making the person barely dim, but this was delicate too and by the tip you relatively felt sorry for him, actually Value’s Phoebe could be carrying the trousers within the relationship.

William Morgan properly introduced out the totally different features of Fairfax’s character. He’s considerably underdrawn, however Morgan differentiated between the noble Lord, as depicted on the opening (as prisoner) and shutting (as relatively stiff-faced bridegroom), and the extra revealing moments when he was disguised as Leonard and thus in a position to give free rein to his flirtatiousness, managing to make a severe impression on two totally different ladies in two days! Not unhealthy going.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Yeomen of the Guard – Darren Jeffrey – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Ellie Kurtz)

Amy J Payne’s Dame Carruthers was very acutely aware of her dignity, a efficiency that was humorous with out ever sending the character up, and Payne relished each of Carruthers’ solos giving the character musical satisfaction too. Stephen Gadd was luxurious casting as Sir Richard Cholmondeley and Gadd performed him with good humour, and a vein of self-importance.

Darren Jeffery was a warmly humorous Sergeant Meryll to match his being suitab ly bodily imposing, while Jack Roberts made as a lot impression as he may within the small, however necessary, function of Leonard Meryll. Natasha Agarwal popped up as a characterful Kate, Dame Carruthers’ niece. The 4 stand-out roles from the refrain have been well-taken by Christopher Killerby, Alistair Sutherland, Benjamin Newhouse-Smith and Stuart McDermott.

The Opera Holland Park refrain was on its ordinary type. There’s far much less dancing required on this opera than some G&S, however this was a nonetheless a vividly energetic manufacturing with the refrain managing to fill stage and auditorium. Within the pit, David Eaton performed a slimline Metropolis of London Sinfonia (the manufacturing used a lowered orchestration with single woodwind) and relished the litheness that this produced, handing over a efficiency that was vivid and vivacious.

Gilbert & Sullivan: The Yeomen of the Guard – Llio Evans – Opera Holland Park (Photograph: Ellie Kurtz)

Actually, there was a vivacity to the entire efficiency that enlivened the opera and ensured that it didn’t grow to be too maudlin, but there was a fair proportion of touching moments too.