‘Yeomen of Guard’ at Occidental College

You can’t say the program doesn’t warn you. There, right under the title of Gilbert and Sullivan’s “The Yeomen of the Guard,” is a quote from a second-act duet: “Tell a tale of cock and bull.”

Forget about poignancy. Forget about heartbreak. Forget about the dramatic depth and humanity that initially worried poor Gilbert, making him fear he had strayed too far from comic-opera formulas.

Turns out, for Stephen Gothold, who staged the production at the Remsen Bird Hillside Theater at Occidental College, “Yeomen” is simply comedy and parody, one slippery step away from farce.

Gothold apparently instructed his actors to play broad and fast, to mug at the audience, to interject gags, to go for laughs whenever possible.

Irrespective of the dramatic situation, he assigns unison semaphore gestures, a la “Pirates” or “Pinafore,” to the noble guardsmen, who are pummeled for ineptness by the ladies. Choreography is credited to Danny Michaels.

Gothold turns Jack Point and Elsie Maynard’s tender “I Have a Song to Sing, O!” into a distancing puppet divertissement ; then has Elsie, in her reprise at the end, sing first to her husband, ignoring the jester.

The stage director sees the finale of Act I as a high-spirited romp and the end of the opera as an opportunity for everyone to dance-dance-dance and overlook the fallen Jack Point.

On Saturday, Morgan Rusler made a hyperactive, moderately sympathetic jester. Amy K.A. Keating brought muted acting and reedy vocalism to Elsie. Ben Reckdahl made a vocally and dramatically powerful Fairfax.

As Phoebe, Diane Bucy-Wallace sang with sweetness and acted with strong, knock-about energy. Jim Kocher acted Shadbolt with thrusted-jaw exaggeration, but sang with gentleness.

Gail Green came to grief in the high-lying parts of Dame Carruthers’ anthems, but acted with dignity. Eric Nelson sang Sgt. Meryll with pale vocalism; but Danny Turner made a strong impression as his son Leonard.

The choruses sang with spirit, but often were underpowered.

Russ Litchfield conducted a small instrumental ensemble.

The production will continue through Aug. 31.