The ENO Presents THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD This Autumn

This Autumn, the English National Opera (ENO) presents the first production of Gilbert & Sullivan's The Yeomen of the Guard in the company's history.

This operetta - widely regarded as the finest musical work of the duo's partnership - swaps their usual farcical comedy and upbeat ending for a poignant turn of affairs.

Set within the Tower of London, the unjustly imprisoned hero Colonel Fairfax is loved by Phoebe, the daughter of the righteous Sergeant Meryll, one of the titular Beefeaters. An audacious plan is devised by the Meryll family to save Fairfax from an unfair death sentence, enlisting the help of Jack Point and Elsie Maynard, roving entertainers. What follows is a complex caper of forbidden romances, fantastical plots, unrequited love and high stakes...

British Director Jo Davies returns to the London Coliseum following Opera North's tour of her 'magnificent' (the Independent) Kiss Me, Kate. Davies also received acclaim for her work with Opera North including a 'terrific' (the Guardian) Ruddigore in 2010.

Leading the award-winning ENO Orchestra in this rich score is ENO favourite, British Conductor Chris Hopkins. Principal Conductor of English Sinfonia and Musical Director of Orchestra of the City, in recent seasons, Hopkins has become something of a Sullivan specialist for the ENO, conducting 2018's Iolanthe, 2019's The Mikado, and 2021's 'elegant, buoyant and witty' (the Guardian) HMS Pinafore.

A tangle of characters involves themselves in topsy-turvy escapades within the Tower of London. Yeomen, travelling players and prisoners jest and trick each other.

Colonel Fairfax is sung by British tenor Anthony Gregory, a former ENO Harewood Artist who last performed in the London Coliseum for the BBC Two broadcast of Handel's Messiah in 2021. Known for his exquisite voice and stage presence, his last Gilbert & Sullivan experience with the ENO includes his 'delightful casting' (Bachtrack) as Nanki-Poo in 2015's The Mikado.

Sergeant Meryll of the Yeomen is Welsh bass-baritone Neal Davies, fresh from a 'gloriously entertaining' (Culture Whisper) Don Alfonso in the ENO's Così fan tutte. A regular at top opera houses and concert halls internationally, he has performed with the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Symphony Orchestra and The Philharmonia Orchestra among others.

'One of our finest actors' (the Guardian), Tony and Olivier Award-winning Scottish stage and screen actor Richard McCabe makes his operatic debut as Jack Point, the comic baritone role. An Associate Artist of the Royal Shakespeare Company, McCabe has played roles including Iago, King John and Puck. Other West End credits include Jim Hacker in Yes, Prime Minister and Harold Wilson in The Audience. His television roles include Anatomy of a Scandal (Netflix), Wallander (BBC), A Very British Scandal (BBC) and Peaky Blinders (BBC). His film credits include The Constant Gardener, Master and Commander and Notting Hill.

Travelling singer Elsie Maynard is Australian ENO Harewood Artist Alexandra Oomens, her second Gilbert & Sullivan role with the company since debuting with her 'bright and impressive soprano' (Daily Telegraph) as Josephine in HMS Pinafore.

British mezzo-soprano Heather Lowe sings Phoebe Meryll, re-joining the ENO orchestra for her London Coliseum debut following her 'strongly executed' (Theatre World) Hansel 2019's Hansel and Gretel at Regent's Park Open Air Theatre.

British baritone Steven Page is Sir Richard Cholmondeley and British mezzo-soprano Susan Bickley is Dame Carruthers. New ENO Harewood Artists complete the cast; South African tenor Innocent Masuku is Leonard Meryll and British Soprano Isabelle Peters returns to the company following her time as an ENO Chorus Fellow, to make her ENO debut in a principal role as Kate.

Life in the Tower in the early 1950s is painted with sets and costumes by Olivier Award-winning designer Anthony Ward. Lighting is by Oliver Fenwick, video design is by Andrezj Goulding and sound design is by Nick Lidster. Choreography is by Kay Shepherd.

The Yeomen of the Guard opens on Thursday 3 November 2022 at 19.30 at the London Coliseum for 14 performances: Nov 5, 9, 10, 12, 17, 19, 26 & Dec 1, 2 at 19.30. Nov 5, 19, 26 at 14.30.

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