As part of the annual Gilbert And Sullivan Festival held in Buxton each year, The National Gilbert And Sullivan Opera Company performed a pair of their Savoy Operas today in the surrounds of the truly beautiful Opera House. This evening's offering was, 'The Yeomen Of The Guard'.
Directed by Simon Butteris, we found ourselves in the reign of Henry V, with a nicely designed and authentic-looking set of The Tower of London and surrounds, whilst costuming etc all complemented this choice of setting.
'The Yeomen Of The Guard', as indeed all of Gilbert And Sullivan's operatic collaborations, are essentially comedic, lampooning the well-known statesmen of their time, and as such, were never meant to be given any real reverence or worthiness. Here, under Butteris's direction, we seemed to be more in Grand or Tragic Opera territory rather than Opera Bouffe or comique, with the start of the show being plaintive and miserable, a theme which continued throughout (with a few moments of light relief!)
The cast, especially the principals, were all well chosen, and I enjoyed their characterisations and voices. The ensemble feel created within the company was almost tangible, and the story told clearly and simply. The whole simply lacked oomph!
The orchestra under the direction of Murray Hipkin sounded lovely, despite some of the songs this evening being taken rather slowly, adding to the feeling of languor in this production.
All-in-all, a hugely proficient and enjoyable production of a G+S favourite, which would have benefited greatly from a upward swing of dynamism.
Reviewer - Matthew Dougall
on - 9.8.23
on - 9.8.23
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