The trajedy of Jack Point

When I was in my final year at the University of Chicago, I sang in the chorus of the Gilbert and Sullivan opera company—as, in fact, I did every year. That year the play was The Yeomen of the Guard, which is, I believe, unique among G&S plays in that, despite the fact that there are two betrothals and (sort of) a wedding by the time the curtain falls, it nevertheless has a sad ending. The music is beautiful and the writing of each individual scene is excellent, and the first act finale in particular is brilliantly composed with terrific pacing. However, I never really liked the play very much, because, as I’ve gone around saying ofor the past five years, the ending is all wrong.

            Several weeks ago, I saw the Lamplighters’ production of the same play, and I changed my opinion entirely. The ending is not what distinguishes this G&S play from the others. In fact, it is at one of the first scenes it becomes quite clear that the development of the plot took a wrong turn (if something as briliiantly constructed as this story can be said to have taken a wrong turn anywhere) at the beginning.

           

( Let us start at the beginning . . . )