"THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD"

New Zealand Herald, Volume XXVII, Issue 8283, 16 June 1890, Page 5

" THE YEOMEN OF THE GUARD"

Tins charming and successful opera—one of the most popular of the Gilbert-Sullivan series—will be produced for the first time in Auckland at the Opera House this evening by the Royal Comic Opera Company. Tho following is a brief outline of the story of the Opera : — Colonel Fairfax, being imprisoned in tho Tower, and under sentence of death on a charge of sorcery, preferred by a relative who will profit by his death should he die unmarried, has prevailed upon the governor of the Tower to find some one willing to marry him under these circumstances. The Governor, compassionating his prisoner, consents, and prevails upon Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer who has just arrived, accompanied by Jack Point, a jester, to become tho wife of Colonel Fairfax for one hour only at a remuneration of 100 crowns, she consenting to the arrangement in order to aid her sick mother. Meanwhile Sergeant Meryll and his daughter, Phoebe, have contrived a plan for the release of the innocent prisoner, which is that Phcebo should by stratagem obtain the keys from the head faoler, who is in love with her, and Colonel "airfax, when set free should join the Yeomen of the Guard in the character of Leonard Meryll, the Sergeant's son, the Colonel's foster-brother, who has just returned after distinguishing himself in the wars, but has not as yet been seen by any one. The plan succeeds; Elsie and the supposed Leonard fall in love with each other without either suspecting the identity of the other, Elsie believing Colonel Fairfax to have been shot while endeavouring to escape. A reprieve for the Colonel at length arrives, which has been kept back for two days by his malicious relative, who is Secretary of State, and Elsie, on learning that her husband lives, is in despair, but on meeting a mutual recognition takes place. The secret of the escape is discovered by two persons, the head gaoler and the housekeeper to the Tower, and to avoid the consequences Phoebe consents to marry the gaoler, and the sergeant makes a similar arrangement with the housekeeper. Elsie and her husband are reunited, and the jester, who has been in love with *he girl himself, falls senseless at her feet as the curtain descends.