COLONEL FAIRFAX (Robert Vann) poses as a guard.
Kersti Malvre photo

Theater review by Elizabeth Warnimont
Special to The Herald

The Lamplighters Music Theatre brought a lively and colorful “Yeomen of the Guard” to the Lesher Center in Walnut Creek last weekend. Well-known for their bold and intricate costumes, quality singing, and stylized acting in the playful spirit of the authors, the Lamplighters did not disappoint in their staging of Gilbert and Sullivan’s popular tale of palace shenanigans and unlikely love triangles.

“Yeomen of the Guard” is one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s more emotional plays, in which the music acts more as a mood-setter than simply as accompaniment to the lyrics. The overture is longer than most and richer, utilizing more instruments and producing more of a thoughtful introduction to this, one of the pair’s darker, more dramatic tales.

Cary Ann Rosko plays Phoebe, the Yeoman’s daughter who pines for a heroic soldier she has never met while fending off advances from the hapless Ravenmaster and “Assistant Tormentor” who plies her daily with his woeful wooing. Rosko’s performance last weekend was polished, a vivid portrayal of the capricious, lovelorn lass.

The role of the Ravenmaster is loaded with potential for vaudeville-style humor, and Lamplighters regular Charles Martin couldn’t have been better suited for the part. He stole the show with exaggerated posturing and expressions, not leaving any chance for the audience’s attention to wander.

JACK POINT (F. Lawrence Ewing) convinces Wilfred (Charles Martin) to conspire with him in “Yeomen of the Guard,” showing next at the Novellus Theater in San Francisco.
Kersti Malvre photo

Martin held the audience rapt with his richly comic portrayal of the pitiable guard who is tossed about between romantic rapture and shock and dismay as the wacky, interwoven plot lines play out around him. Once the avid suitor finally leaves Phoebe’s window in Scene One, her father (William Neely as Sergeant Meryll) appears to inform her that her brother will soon be returning to join the Yeomen as their newest member. Meanwhile, the object of Phoebe’s affection, Colonel Fairfax (Robert Vann in his Lamplighters debut), awaits execution in the tower prison on charges of sorcery. Enter jester Jack Point (F. Lawrence Ewing) and the unwitting apple of his eye, musician and fellow traveler Elsie Maynard (Jennifer Ashworth), and the ingredients are all laid out for a spirited farce of mistaken identities, misplaced affections and wonderfully tangled plans.

Two of the characters in “Yeomen” have secondary roles that offer unique opportunities to stand out. Wandering wayfarer Elsie enters the scene as the victim of an unappreciative crowd, escaping personal injury only upon the chance arrival of a pair of guardsmen. As the action unfolds, however, her part grows more complex.

Ashworth kept her full enthusiasm in check at first, paving the way for a blossoming spirit to show itself later as Elsie’s predicament grows tragically complex. With the song, “A Man Who Would Woo a Fair Maid” in Act Two, Ashworth revealed a spectacular yet gracefully restrained voice, lending a sympathetic and passionate tone to the role.

Dame Carruthers (Kathryn Schumacher in her first appearance with the Lamplighters) and her maid Kate (Sarita Cannon) also begin to figure more prominently once the second act gets under way. Cannon surprised and delighted the audience last weekend with her part in “Strange Adventure,” which accompanies the telling by her and the dame of secrets overheard, thereby leading the story toward its reveal-all conclusion. Cannon’s surprising performance caught the audience happily off-guard, much as Ashworth had begun to do only minutes before.

Rounding out the cast of “Yeomen” were Lamplighters newcomers William O’Neill as Lieutenant Sir Richard Cholmondeley (“Chum-ly”) and Dan Galpin as Leonard Meryll, son of the sergeant and co-conspirator in the plot to save the condemned colonel from execution.

Audiences have come to expect great things from the Lamplighters, whose specific mission is “to share our enthusiasm and love for the works of W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan.” “Yeomen” contains all the ingredients for a show true to that mission, sure to entertain throughout its current run.

If You Go
The Lamplighters continue “Yeoman of the Guard” next at the Novellus Theater in San Francisco (Feb. 4-6, call 415-978-2787 for tickets) and end their run at the Bankhead in Livermore (Feb. 19-20, call 925-373-6800). For details visit www.lamplighters.org.

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