~posted by Carmel O’Donovan, KMFA announcer

Their current production is “Yeoman of the Guard,” and it runs until  this Sunday June 20th at Travis High School Performing Arts Center.  Jules Brandon (my fellow KMFA announcer) and I had a wonderful evening at the show and were given a warm welcome by the performers — we were even allowed backstage to take photographs!

As a relatively recent emigre from London, I confess I was curious and perhaps (dare I admit it — a foreigner in Texas like me?) a little suspicious of any production, from the truly British stable of Gilbert and Sullivan, outside of those fair islands. In fact the evening is a complete joy from start to finish. The facility at Travis High School is wonderful — comfortable seats, great acoustics, not too big, not too small — the perfect ambiance. The orchestra set the standard and it was high … of particular note for me was the wonderful percussionist. She played with panache and enthusiasm and made me yearn for the sense of rhythm so sadly lacking from my own makeup. The curtain rose: the set was wonderful. Simple but impressive. The performance checked all of my boxes: great voices and acting, authentic costumes, engaging and intriguing story line with humor and pathos closely mixed.

The “deal breaker” for me was of course going to be those English Accents  (don’t get me wrong… while I still love Mary Poppins and indeed Dick Van Dyke, I have never really recovered from his Cockney accent). Truthfully, whether in spoken word or in song they were great! My favorite has to be the “Head Jailer and Assistant Tormentor” — so wonderfully accurate in his West Country accent and just so funny!

From start to finish this is a high-quality production with a mix of intrigue, wit and the archetypal dodgy British puns. It is wonderful! I can’t wait for the next one!

~posted by Carmel O’Donovan, KMFA announcer