The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company made an impressive debut at Oxford Castle on Monday night, at the start of a week-long run of The Yeomen of the Guard. Jeff Clarke’s stunning production, transferred from the International G&S Festival in Buxton, Derbyshire, works a treat against this magnificent backdrop, and you can almost believe you are at the real Tower of London.

This is a lively, colourful production that captures the traditional spirit of the opera while offering a fresh interpretation with its attention to detail and strong, believable characters. Oliver White, for instance, is in superb form as a particularly caddish and lecherous Fairfax, although there is poignancy, too, in his pensive Free from his fetters grim, which he sings while shaving by candlelight. The relationship between Philip Cox’s magnificent Shadbolt and Ciara Hendricks’s spirited Phoebe is beautifully developed throughout, and at the end you feel that this unlikely couple might actually find lasting happiness — especially when they chuckle together as Sergeant Meryll (the wonderful Bruce Graham) succumbs to the advances of the formidable Dame Carruthers (sung and acted with great authority by Jill Pert).

Richard Gauntlett is a cheeky and loveable Jack Point, while Charlotte Page (pictured with Oliver White) is powerfully expressive as Elsie Maynard, and both tug successfully at the heart strings in Act 2. Nicholas Warden is a commanding presence as the Lieutenant of the Tower, while Matthew Kimble and Jennifer France make something of the rather thankless roles of Leonard and Kate. The chorus act with great energy and conviction, and the ensemble singing is one of this production’s many strengths. The National Festival Orchestra accompanies flawlessly under the baton of conductor John Owen Edwards.

There were a few teething problems on the opening night with sound and lighting, but this is an exciting and unmissable production by a very talented company.

The Yeomen of the Guard continues until Sunday. For tickets, call 01422 323252, or visit www.wegottickets.com/gands