Widely regarded as the pick of the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas, The Yeomen of the Guard is a timeless work that has been winning over audiences since it was first performed in 1888.

With Gilbert’s sharp lyrics and Sullivan’s easy, memorable tunes, it is not too hard to see why.

The Gilbert and Sullivan Society Of Edinburgh’s new production of The Yeomen of the Guard is sure to be yet another crowd pleaser when it comes to the King’s Theatre for a five-night stint next week.

The Yeomen of the Guard - or The Merryman and His Maid - first opened on October 3, 1888, at the Savoy Theatre in London and ran for 423 performances.

Though the opening night turned out to be a major success, there had been concern that audiences would be disappointed by the lack of satire and comedy. However, such fears were soon forgotten.

The darkest of the 14 Gilbert and Sullivan operas, Yeomen ends with a broken-hearted central character and two reluctant engagements.

Gilbert’s "pointed" satire and one-liners abound, there are plenty of topsy-turvy plot complications and it is widely acknowledged that the score is Sullivan’s finest.

Indeed, some enjoy Yeomen particularly because of its ever-changing emotional balance of joy and despair, love and sacrifice.

The setting of Yeomen is the Tower of London in Shakespearean times. There, Colonel Fairfax is sentenced to die in an hour on a false charge of sorcery. To avoid leaving his estate to his accuser, and with the help of the Lieutenant of the Tower, he secretly marries Elsie Maynard, a strolling singer who expects to be a well-paid widow when he dies.

However, with the help of the Merryll family Fairfax escapes, throwing the Tower and the astonished Elsie into despair. The disguised Fairfax then woos Elsie and in the end she jilts her intended husband, the jester Jack Point.

In his first major role, 29-year-old software developer Scott Thomson is delighted to have landed the role of Jack. Originally from Perth and now an Edinburgh resident, Thomson first became interested in acting through his mum, who was a member of an amateur dramatics group in Arbroath.

"This is the first time I’ve had a full principal role," he beams. "But before this I’d done the whole gamut of amateur theatrical shows.

"My mum was a member of a theatrical society and occasionally, they would have roles for kids to do something. So that’s really how I got into acting in the first place."

When Thomson was just 13 he landed a part in his first production. Coincidentally his role was the part of a headsman in none other than Yeomen of the Guard.

"That was the first time I’d ever done anything major on a stage, " he recalls. "And yeah, it is a bit of a strange coincidence that Yeomen was my first ever production as a child and now it is my first proper production as an adult actor

Thomson has had plenty of time to prepare for the role, having landed the part last summer.

"Basically, since then it’s been a case of listening to CDs of the show in the car on the way to work, singing along and slowly learning the words," he says.

"Saying that, though, I’m still very nervous. Especially since I’ve drafted in just about everyone I’ve ever met to come to the show."

By contrast, 55-year-old Ian Lawson has performed all the Gilbert and Sullivan operas in his 21 years with the Edinburgh Gilbert and Sullivan Society.

Given that there are only 14 to choose from, you’d think Lawson would tire of performing the same works year in year out. Not so.

"Because there are only 13 or 14 operas to choose from, we do tend to come back to the same ones again over ten-year periods," Lawson says.

"This is the third time I’ve performed Yeomen of the Guard, but it’s the third different part I’ve played in it. That really helps.

"In the past, I’ve played the parts of Colonel Fairfax and Jack Point, and this time I’m shabby jailer Wilfred Shadbolt."

Perhaps the most comic character in the entire production, Shadbolt describes himself as the "head jailor and assistant tormentor of the Tower of London".

So what, in the opinion of a man who has dedicated a large chunk of his spare time over the last two decades, makes the works of Gilbert and Sullivan so enduring?

Simple, says Lawson: "It’s a unique combination of witty words and witty music."

Gilbert and Sullivan reckoned this to be the finest of all their collaborations, too. More likely that not, you’ll find yourself agreeing.