Capital Region Performance Gallery

by Dick Frantzreb

Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Yeomen of the Guard came to life again at Sacramento’s 24th Street Theatre for two weekends in August, and I was fortunate to attend the opening night of this production by the Light Opera Theatre of Sacramento (LOTS). It seemed to me that this was a special production because the directors were Debbie & Mike Baad, the couple who were the Producing and Founding Artistic Directors of LOTS in 1982. They started what has become a community tradition with the staging of one or two Gilbert & Sullivan operettas (and occasionally other musical productions) annually for those 37 years.

As we in the audience settled in our comfortable seats on this very warm Friday evening, we were grateful for the many strong ceiling fans that created a constant breeze that was as welcome as a cool drink. The theatre was small (maybe 250 seats) and the stage rather narrow, but, if anything, that all gave a feeling of intimacy. Looking around, as the theatre almost filled to capacity, I noticed a screen for the projection of supertitles. That was important to me because I was apprehensive about being able to follow Gilbert & Sullivan’s classic dialog and lyrics. (As it turned out, song lyrics were projected; dialog was not.)

When it came time for the performance to start, the “welcome” to the audience was brilliant.  “Yeoman of the guard” Troy Turpen came out with a military gait and in his full costume.  Reading from a scroll, in character, and with an appropriate accent, he advised us about exits, intermission, forbidden photography, silencing of cell phones, etc. His presentation was laced with humor, making it the perfect introduction for the operetta.

Our introduction was enhanced by the lengthy overture ― alternately stirring, alternately soothing ― led by Music Director and Conductor, Anne-Marie Endres. In recent years, I’ve seen Endres perform as an outstanding vocalist with different Sacramento music organizations. Consequently, I wasn’t surprised to see her at the director’s podium, from which she conducted with accuracy, energy, and nuance ― not only the excellent orchestra of 26 players, but the performers on the stage. In the overture I heard what was, to my ear, a rich professional orchestra sound, accented with strong solo passages, and that performance continued as a solid base for the presentation of this musical classic.

(Click here to open the program in a new window.)

The action began in an impressive way with Rikki Pratt as Phoebe Meryll, singing the opening song (“When maiden loves, she sits and sighs”) while working at a real spinning wheel. Presently the scene changed to the Tower of London during the time of Henry VIII. Partly due to the 16th Century setting (and to the fact that the operetta itself premiered in 1888), the language often sounded dated, with occasional words that would send one to a dictionary ― if, indeed, the word existed there. But the language is integral to the charm of Gilbert & Sullivan, and I’m sure that G&S cognoscenti in the audience were ready for everything sung or spoken. I, on the other hand, prepared myself for this production by reading the libretto in advance (it’s easily accessible on the Internet).  And in case you are unfamiliar with the plot of Yeomen, there is a convenient summary at this link. I have to add that I couldn’t resist the pleasure inherent in the rhymes and mellifluous language of this work, even when it was nonsensical.

It seemed to me that the delivery of this language on this evening was true to the intent of Gilbert & Sullivan, spirited and well-articulated, with occasional flourishes of rapid-fire verbiage laden with wit. I also appreciated the efforts that many of the performers gave to producing a recognizable English accent.  And for that, the first prize goes to Eric Piotrowski as “Head Jailer and Assistant Tormenter,” Wilfred Shadbolt, who maintained a Cockney accent throughout the performance. I hasten to add there were many runners-up for this prize.

(Please refer to the accompanying program for the character names of the pictured actors.)

Rikki Pratt	Eric Piotrowski	Charlie Baad & Carley Neill

Nothing bespeaks Gilbert & Sullivan so much as that “rapid-fire verbiage laden with wit” set to music, and I felt that the cast gave us what we came for in the delivery of this type of song. I can recall these examples: “Here’s a man of jollity,” “I’ve jibe and joke,” “Oh! A private buffoon is a light-hearted loon,” and “Hark! What was that, sir?” What several of these songs have in common is the participation by Charlie Baad as Jack Point, the “Strolling Jester.” As one might surmise from his last name, Charlie Baad is the son of Mike Baad, co-director of this performance and co-founder of LOTS. So it’s no surprise that the younger Baad seemed born to play the role of Jack Point. His singing and acting was top-notch, and though I’m far from an expert, I bet he could play this role effectively for any Gilbert & Sullivan company.

Charlie Baad & Timothy Power	Robert Vann & Eric Piotrowski	“Citizens”

The heart of an operetta is the singing, after all, and I heard excellent singing all night from this cast. I have attended many choral concerts in recent years, and that gives me some confidence in my judgment that the ensemble singing ― men, women and mixed ― was excellent. And of course, the principals gave solid performances. This being opening night, it seemed to me that their voices strengthened as the evening progressed. However, that was not true for Robert Vann as Colonel Fairfax. His strong tenor soared from the very start. And with his excellent acting (including comic acting) and clear projection of his lines (every word of which could be discerned from the back of the theatre), he was a perfect choice for the part of Fairfax. (Apologies to Anthony Tavianini, who shares the part of Fairfax in the run of this show.)

Carley Neill	“Yeomen of the Guard”	Eric Piotrowski & Rikki Pratt

The same could be said for Carley Neill (Vann’s wife in real life), who played the key role of Elsie Maynard, Fairfax’s very believable love interest in Yeomen. Besides her winsome appearance, Neill has a strong, trained soprano voice that demonstrated to the audience how a professional would sing this part. And speaking of professionals, I would guess that most of the principal roles were played by amateur singers. Yet one after another, as I listened to their singing, the thought came to me, “that’s darned good!” Still I have to acknowledge one singer in a minor role with a truly outstanding voice. It was Rebecca Cox, who played the role of Kate, niece to Dame Carruthers. Cox was part of several ensembles, but when she was in a quartet for “Strange adventure!” her soprano stood out for its beautiful, strong tone.

The costumes were certainly an asset to this performance ― varied, colorful and appropriate (i.e. Wilfred all in black). But the costumes of the 7 Yeomen (plus, eventually, Fairfax) were perfect ― as you can see from the accompanying image.

I’d venture that nearly everyone in the cast was an experienced actor, and apart from the work of those I’ve already mentioned, I saw a lot of inspired acting. Mike Baad impressed me from the start as Sergeant Meryll (no doubt drawing on his decades of experience with G&S). Robert Vann as Fairfax and Rikki Pratt as Phoebe are perhaps the two who stand out in most in my memory for their acting, particularly the comic acting. To me, their gestures and facial expressions accounted more for the laughs of the audience than did the script of W. S. Gilbert itself. The same is true of Lenore Sebastian as Dame Carruthers, who not only gave us some excellent singing, but was hilarious when Sergeant Meryll was proposing to her. And for the brief moments he was on stage with a speaking part as Leonard Meryll, I felt that Samuel Palmer made the most of that role.

Robert Vann & Carley Neill	Robert Vann, Lenore Sebastian, Rebecca Cox & Mike Baad	Mike Baad

This operetta has been performed countless thousands of times over the past 130 years, and it will no doubt be staged for centuries yet to come. How is that possible?  And what explains the enthusiastic reception of tonight's audience?  There’s the music that has maintained its appeal over the years. There’s wit that satisfies those who have been initiated in it. There is the broader humor that will work with any audience. But most of all, what I and tonight's audience experienced was just a charming story and charming music given an authentic performance by people from our own community. For all of us, and especially for me, it was a summer evening well spent.

All photos by Dwayne Slavin.  Visit Light Opera Theatre Sacramento's website at:  https://www.lightoperasacramento.com/