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Yeoman of the Guard
(Vocal Score). This Gilbert & Sullivan opera is set in the Tower of London, during the 16th century, and is the darkest, and perhaps most emotionally engaging, of the Savoy Operas, ending with a broken-hearted main character and two very reluctant engagements, rather than the usual numerous marriages. The libretto does contain considerable humor, including a lot of pun-laden one-liners, but Gilbert's trademark satire and topsy-turvy plot complications are subdued in comparison with the other G&S operas.
246 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1888
16 people want to read
About the author
W.S. Gilbert
720 books35 followersBritish playwright and lyricist Sir William Schwenck Gilbert (18 November 1836 – 29 May 1911) wrote a series of comic operas, including
Her Majesty's Ship Pinafore
(1878) and
The Pirates of Penzance
(1879), with composer Sir Arthur Sullivan.
This English dramatist, librettist, poet, and illustrator in collaboration with composer Sullivan produced fourteen comic operas, which include The Mikado , one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre.
Opera companies, repertory companies, schools and community theatre groups throughout and beyond the English-speaking world continue to perform regularly these operas as well as most of their other Savoy operas. From these works, lines, such as "short, sharp shock", "What, never? Well, hardly ever!", and "Let the punishment fit the crime," form common phrases of the English language.
Gilbert also wrote the Bab Ballads , an extensive collection of light verse, which his own comical drawings accompany.
His creative output included more than 75 plays and libretti, numerous stories, poems, lyrics and various other comic and serious pieces. His plays and realistic style of stage direction inspired other dramatists, including Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. According to The Cambridge History of English and American Literature , the "lyrical facility" of Gilbert "and his mastery of metre raised the poetical quality of comic opera to a position that it had never reached before and has not reached since."
This English dramatist, librettist, poet, and illustrator in collaboration with composer Sullivan produced fourteen comic operas, which include The Mikado , one of the most frequently performed works in the history of musical theatre.
Opera companies, repertory companies, schools and community theatre groups throughout and beyond the English-speaking world continue to perform regularly these operas as well as most of their other Savoy operas. From these works, lines, such as "short, sharp shock", "What, never? Well, hardly ever!", and "Let the punishment fit the crime," form common phrases of the English language.
Gilbert also wrote the Bab Ballads , an extensive collection of light verse, which his own comical drawings accompany.
His creative output included more than 75 plays and libretti, numerous stories, poems, lyrics and various other comic and serious pieces. His plays and realistic style of stage direction inspired other dramatists, including Oscar Wilde and George Bernard Shaw. According to The Cambridge History of English and American Literature , the "lyrical facility" of Gilbert "and his mastery of metre raised the poetical quality of comic opera to a position that it had never reached before and has not reached since."
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 4, 2014
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2014
Once again, read on my Kindle as part of The Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan while watching the video from YouTube.
Although mistaken or hidden identities appear again in this operetta, it seemed less "topsy turvy" than most Gilbert & Sullivan. I liked the somewhat historical part of the 16th century -- witchcraft and alchemy, politics and personal loyalty, made for a good plot.
Although mistaken or hidden identities appear again in this operetta, it seemed less "topsy turvy" than most Gilbert & Sullivan. I liked the somewhat historical part of the 16th century -- witchcraft and alchemy, politics and personal loyalty, made for a good plot.
June 1, 2017
I have never seen this show in production (few have; it's certainly not the most beloved or popular), but it was the first Gilbert and Sullivan opera I was ever exposed to, as a key recurring element in the wonderfully surreal young adult novel "Figgs and Phantoms" by Ellen Raskin. The show itself is another genre-blender, mixing the Gilbert and Sullivan house style with the Shakespearean "problem play" style. There is more emphasis on the prose and dramatic element in this than their other musicals, and a more keenly polished tragicomic sensibility; the faked execution plotline from "The Mikado" turns up here again, but in a rather more serious vein. Jack Point is as blatant a knockoff of the Shakespearean "wise fools" of the late period as is possible, and the awkward and ambiguous close to the various love stories seems to deliberately recall "Measure for Measure." I can see why this is not the most beloved of G&S shows, but due to its placement in one of my all-time favorite books, it'll always be close to my heart.
May 2, 2021
This is definitely one of the more different G & S operettas. Set in Tudor times with a court jester as the main character, who does not get the girl in the end, it was refreshing due to its differences.
November 14, 2017
By far my favorite of the Savoy operas.
February 16, 2017
My absolute favorite Gilbert and Sullivan Operetta. Full of mischief and peril, with witty words written with great care and a musical score that is supremely magnificent and exhilarating. About love and the idea that love does not always come as expected, and also that society (with a bit of sorcery, or perhaps a lack of it!) is at times prejudiced and unfair. But at the heart, it is a Operetta of foolish intent of individuals and how things can turn out, hopefully (though not always) for the best. The characters are wonderful and full of life. I have listened to it several times, and it remains in my head and heart!
June 1, 2007
I did this show with the Victorian Lyric Opera Company
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews