Los Angeles daily herald., 1888-12-31

..................... Emma Abbott
Phoebe Meryil. Sergeant Merylls daughter
Observation-Disclosures. Nina Bertini
Dame Carruthers, housekeeper 10 the Tower
Observation-Disclosures. Lizzie Annandale
Kate her niece. Observation-Disclosures Myra Mirella
Sergeant Meryll, OF the Yeomen ofthe Guard
...... .........................W VIM. Broderick
Leonard Meryii, his son. .....: James Abail
Jack Point strolling jester. 49,. Walter Allen
Wilfred Shadboldt, head jailor OF the Tower
and assistant torment0r. VIM. Pruette
Sir Richard Cholmondeley, Lieutenant Of
the Tower. r...............; Richard Karl
The HeadSman. ............. Wm.' McCarmacn
First Ye0man Observation-Disclosures Edward Tarpi
Second YeOman. n................ .AdOlph Mayer
Third Ysoman ........... -: George e r H smith Sl
Fourth Ieoman. .............. Frank Mcknight
First Citizen ....................Ge George Kenney
Second Citizen ....... ......... John CT eviot
Colonel Fairfax. under sentence Of death
Chorus OF Yeomen OF the Guard, gentlemen,
citizens, etc. Scene-Tower Green, London
Period Sixteenth Century.
The entire action takes place in the
courtyard OF the Tower of London. The
scene is effective, the tower being built
with such apparent massiveness that
there is room in it for flagstaff and the
colors of the land.
The argument is thus stated: Colonel
Fairfax" is condemned to death for sor-
Gerry; he has twice saved the life OF
"Phebe's", father in battle, and both
she and her father want to save his neck,
but how? An opportunity arises
through the brother of "Ph9be," who
has just been appointed Yeoman of the
Guard for some valorous deed on the
field of battle, and who is persuaded to
let the condemned man take his place
in the corps of the Yeomen of
the Guard. "Fairfax" is brought in
guarded to the Lieutenant of the Tower,
looking bold and brave and de-
clares his readiness to die. Befo"e he
goes back to prison he asks boon of
the Lieutenant; that as he has been
condemned to death for sorcery, through
the Vaccinations of a kinsman Of his.
who will succeed to his estate provided
he dies unmarried, he asks the Lieu
tenant to find wife for him whom he
should marry before he is put to death
this the Lieutenant promises to do.
"Elsie Maynard" comes along with
"Jack Point" and the Lieutenant in
duces her. for the consideration of 100
crowns, to marry Fairfax" she being
blindfolded during the ceremony
this she agrees to do, provided she
is allowed to depart the instant the
ceremony is at an end. "Elsie" marries
without seeing him, and the problem
arises how to convey the Yeoman suit to
''Fairfax" in his cell and to let him escape
therefrom, as the keys are in the custody
of "Wilfred," who is in love with
phoebe" "Phoebe' undertakes to
manage this and purloins the keys, frees
''Fairfax" and returns them to their
proper place without "Wilfred" being
aware of their loss. stFairfax" dresses
in the uniform of the Yeomen of the
Guard, gets out and takes his place
among the yeomen. The head execu-
toner comes on to behead the prisoner,
but as he has escaped the curtain on the
first act descends, with the grim execu-
toner, ak in hand, waiting at the block
for his victim.
In the second act the curtain rises
where the civilians and "Dame Carruth :
ers" reproach the wardens for allowing
the prisoner to escape. "Point' meets
"Wilfred," and upon his promising to
discharge his arquebusses at right, and
stating that he has killed "Fairfax''
while endeavoring to escape, he will
make him, "Wilfred," Jester. The
shot is heard, and "Wllfred" and
Point" inform the Governor that evil
fred" has shot the prisoner Fairfax"
through the head, and that he is very,
very dead. "Dame Carruthers" then
enters and informs "Meryll," in
the presence of Fairfax" that
from what "Elsie' has said in
her sleep, she is certain that Fairfax" is
the man to whom she is welded. Fair
fax" to test her principles, pretends to
make violent love to- Elsie" in the interest
of Point" and finally falls in love with
her himself. Leonard" soon after
arrives with a long-delayed pardon, mali
ciously kept back by "Fairfax's" kins-
man, who designed that it should arrive
after the Colonel's death. Fairfax"
arrives and claims "Elsie' as his wife.
"Phebe" consents to marry "Wilfred, !"
nd Dame Carruthers succeeds" in cap
turing the Sergeant.
The music which Sir Arthur Sullivan
has written for The Yeoman of the Guard
is, perhaps, the most ambitious work of
the kind yet attempted by the most Eng
lish composer of the day. The serious
vein marked out in Ruddygore is followed
out more severely than in that first de-
parture from the purely lyric to the semi
dramatic in music but it must be ad-
mitted that the vein is not that in which
Sir Arthur will find his most valuable
nuggets.
Gilbert's humor is not sufficiently
integral with the action to be as diverting
as the lines really are in the reading. II
is as if he had gathered together some
happy thoughts from his notebook.
There is:some drolleryi in Jack Points"
description of his avocation as lester.
His jests, he affirms, "are most carefully
selected, and anything Objectionable is
expunged." He relates his failure to
please the Lord Archbishop of Canter.
bury witt, merry saying of personal
nature, for which he had to sit in the
stocks.
The Jester has occasion to strike bar
gain with "Wilfred, the Head Jailer of
the Tower and Assistant Tormenter,"
whereby he shall teach him all his
"original songs and ingenious paradoxes
and reveal the source" where he got
them. The two dance off with the big
tome between them. Jack had before
thus declared:
If you wish to succeed as Jester you'll need
To consider each persons auricular;
What is all right for would quite scandal
(For is so very particularly;
And d may be dull, and E's very thick skull
Is as empty of brains as q ladle;
While 10 sharp. and will cry with a carp,
That he's known your best joke from the
When your humor they fiout,
You can't let yourself 20: