The Yeomen of the Guard

The Yeomen of the Guard is set in the Tower of London. Colonel Fairfax is wrongly accused of sorcery, imprisoned and sentenced to be beheaded within the hour. To avoid leaving his estate to his accuser he secretly marries Elsie Maynard, a strolling gypsy. Jester Jack Point is also in love with Elsie but agrees to the marriage knowing that Fairfax will soon be executed. However, Fairfax escapes, throwing the Tower into confusion and setting in motion a number of intriguing plot twists ending in tragedy for one of the players.

The Yeomen of the Guard is deeper and darker than the usual comic G&S operas and many consider the score to be Sullivan’s finest.