“Oh! a private buffoon is a light-hearted loon, If you listen to popular rumour. From the morn to the night, he’s so joyous and bright, And he bubbles with wit and good humor!”
The Yeomen of the Guard
“Strange adventure! Maiden wedded To a groom she’s never seen Never, never, never seen! Groom about to be beheaded, In an hour on Tower Green! Tower, Tower, Tower Green!”
The Yeomen of the Guard
The Yeomen of the Guard, or The Merryman and His Maid
March 6 to 29, 2026
The Gilbert & Sullivan Very Light Opera Company is pleased to announce that it will present The Yeomen of the Guard, for four weekends, from March 6 through March 29, 2026.
This production will be directed by Gary Briggle, with music direction by Dr. Randal Buikema.
Directors’ Note, by Gary Briggle
A Synopsis of The Yeomen of the Guard, by Gary Briggle
The cast for this production of The Yeomen of the Guard includes:
| Elsie Maynard: | Mary Kettlewell |
| Phoebe Meryll: | Charlotte Smith |
| Dame Carruthers: | Lara Trujillo |
| Kate: | Ella Rose Katzenberger |
| Jack Point: | Sam Vinitsky |
| Colonel Fairfax: | Graham Remple |
| Sergeant Meryll: | Waldyn Benbenek |
| Wilfred Shadbolt | Trevor Woggon |
| Lieutenant: | Eric Sorum |
| Leonard Meryll: | Andrew Peterson |
Chorus of Townspeople:
| John Azbill-Salisbury | Mary Mescher Benbenek |
| Maggie Benham | Amanda Bindner |
| Maya Gitch | Mary Gregory |
| Liza Hartshorn | Shawn Holt |
| Therese Kulas | Anna Maher |
| Mallory Rabehl | Lowell Rice |
| James Ruth | Emma Shine |
| Holly Windle |
Chorus of Yeomen of the Guard:
| Chief Yeoman Warder: | Dean Laurance |
| Wilson Alness | Scott Benson |
| Tom Berg | Jonathan Flory |
| Stephen Hage | Richard Rames |
| Niko Simmons | Seth Steidl |
| Mike Tober |
Kate Jennings, Dame Carruthers cover
Alexander Gerchak, Wilfred Shadbolt cover
The Story:
The Yeomen of the Guard is set in the Tower of London during the reign of King Henry VIII. The plot concerns Colonel Fairfax, a gentleman, soldier and scientist, who has been sentenced to be beheaded 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, Fairfax secretly marries Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer. The bride agrees to be blindfolded during the ceremony and expects to be a well-paid widow in an hour. With the help of the Meryll family, Fairfax escapes, throwing the Tower into confusion and the astonished Elsie and Jack Point, a jester who loves her, into despair. But Fairfax, disguised as Leonard Meryll, woos Elsie, and after a number of plot complications are worked out, she unknowingly falls in love with her husband, but leaves Jack Point broken-hearted.
The Impact:
The Yeomen of the Guard has been described as Gilbert and Sullivan’s most emotionally engaging operetta, more serious in character, with none of Gilbert’s typical satire of British institutions. While the libretto does contain considerable humor, Gilbert’s trademark satire and topsy-turvy plot complications are subdued in comparison with the other Gilbert and Sullivan operas. Musically, the operetta is considered to be one of Sullivan’s finest, most musically ambitious.
Information:
The performances will be at The Conn Theater, at Plymouth Congregational Church, located at 1900 Nicollet Avenue South, in Minneapolis.
Friday and Saturday evening performances are at 7:30 pm. The Saturday and Sunday matinees are at 2:00 pm. For a more detailed performance calendar, visit our Tickets page.
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