The Yeomen of The Guard - Legacy, Adaptations and Cultural Influence

Legacy, Adaptations and Cultural Influence

Further information: Cultural influence of Gilbert and Sullivan

A monument in Sullivan's memory was erected in the Victoria Embankment Gardens (London) and is inscribed with a lyric from Yeomen: "Is life a boon? If so, it must befall that Death, whene'er he call, must call too soon". In 1962, 1964, 1966, 1978 and 2009, the opera was staged before large audiences in the moat of the Tower of London.

A 1957 American TV broadcast of the opera as part of the NBC Hallmark Hall of Fame series starred Alfred Drake as Point, Barbara Cook as Elsie, Celeste Holm as Phoebe and Bill Hayes as Fairfax, and featured Henry Calvin as Wilfred and Marjorie Gordon as Kate, with announcer Lee Vines. It was broadcast on 10 April 1957 and was directed by George Schaefer and conducted by Franz Allers. It is 79 minutes long, including commercials, so much of the dialogue and some music is cut. Alfred Drake narrates the story. A kinescope copy of the broadcast survives and is "available for preorder" in Black and White on DVD. Another cut version was made in 1978 for British TV starring Tommy Steele as Point, Terry Jenkins as Fairfax, Anne Collins as Carruthers, Laureen Livingstone as Elsie, Della Jones as Phoebe, Paul Hudson as Meryll and Dennis Wickes as Wilfred. It was produced by Stanley Doreman, directed by Anthony Besch and conducted by David Lloyd-Jones in connection with 1978 City of London Festival.

The musical group Peter, Paul and Mary included the song, "I have a song to sing, O!" on one of their children's albums, Peter, Paul and Mommy (1969). In 1973, a BBC TV Play for Today production, Jack Point, by Colin Welland, directed by Michael Apted, concerned the tensions in an amateur theatre group during a production of Yeomen, particularly the casting of the part of Jack Point.