production of Ruddigore was definitely well worth the wait - a real treat from start to finish. Director Jo Davies has updated the action to the 1920s in a slick and witty staging that contains enough of the traditional-style dancing and unison hand gestures to keep G&S purists happy, while at the same time bringing a freshness and vitality to the piece, including several interpolated topical jokes about MPs’ expense claims which had the audience in stitches. Ruddigore - or The Witch’s Curse was the tenth collaboration between Gilbert and Sullivan, but coming less than two years after The Mikado it inevitably suffered by comparison and struggled to live up to the success of its more famous predecessor. The first performance at the Savoy Theatre in January 1887 was met with a somewhat hostile reception - the New York Times branded it a failure and reported hissing and shouting from disappointed audience members. Though other critics were far less severe, the general consensus was that Ruddigore was charming but flawed, and several changes and cuts were made in order to improve the piece. Even the original title (spelled Ruddygore) proved rather controversial - upsetting all the 19th century Mary Whitehouse types who felt that ‘ruddy’ was too shockingly similar to ‘bloody’, which is why it was quickly changed to a less ‘offensive’ spelling.
Though Ruddigore will never be as popular as The Mikado, HMS Pinafore or The Pirates of Penzance, it still boasts a delightfully tuneful score, amusing dialogue and a preposterously silly melodramatic plot. Sir Roderic’s song “When the night wind howls” is a real musical gem and displays some extraordinarily imaginative orchestral writing, perfectly capturing the atmosphere of the unfurling ghost story. But the most famous musical number is probably the brilliant patter trio from Act II “My eyes are fully open to my awful situation” which contains the fantastic line “This particularly rapid unintelligible patter isn’t generally heard and if it is it doesn’t matter”
Set in Cornwall in a village called Rederring (geddit?) the plot is a parody of a Victorian gothic melodrama, revolving around the ‘Bad Baronets’ of Ruddigore who are condemned by an ancient curse to commit one crime each day or else perish in agony. Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, the rightful heir to the baronetcy, has run away and disguised himself as Robin, a simple farmer, in order to escape the curse - causing his younger brother Despard to inherit the title. Robin/Ruthven and his foster-brother Richard (a sailor) are both in love with the virtuous, etiquette-obsessed Rose Maybud, who cannot make up her mind whom she wishes to marry and switches her affections between the two men every five minutes. And of course there is poor abandoned Mad Margaret who enters in a disheveled state to the strains of a flute solo, an obvious little nod to Lucia di Lammermoor. Add to the mix some ghosts, the obligatory interrupted wedding scene and several totally implausible plot twists and we reach a classic formulaic G&S happy ending where all the principals neatly pair off and marry each other. If only real life were that simple!
During the overture we were shown the ‘back story’ of Dame Hannah and Sir Roderic as an old-fashioned black and white silent film projection – a clever means of exposition. After staging the opening scene in Rose’s bedroom, the Act I set designs by Richard Hudson gave us a seafront promenade (complete with plastic seagull!) and the elegant interior of a village church. Act II was set entirely inside the dark and gloomy picture gallery of Ruddigore Castle, the long latticed windows dramatically crashing open amidst some genuinely scary thunder and lightning. Staging the scene where the ghostly ancestors come to life and step out of their picture frames is a challenge for any director, but it was brilliantly achieved here by means of translucent screens – a clever coup de theatre. Costumes by Gabrielle Dalton were elegant and mainly typical of the 1920s period.
To stage any G&S production truly successfully it is essential to have singers who are also good actors, otherwise there is a real danger that much of Gilbert’s dialogue can fall flat in the wrong hands. Fortunately Opera North’s cast fielded some wonderful acting talent and it is hard to imagine a more ideal Robin/Ruthven than Grant Doyle. His warm, elegant baritone was attractive in timbre and he sang with great polish and finesse throughout; making light work of the fast patter songs and getting the text across with impeccably clear and suitably posh diction. His acting and comic timing were brilliant - obviously a G&S ‘natural’, Doyle made a very affable hero in Act I and a very sympathetic villain in Act II.
Soprano Amy Freston seemed slightly less at home with Gilbert’s dialogue, casually throwing away some of Rose’s best lines without pausing to make the most of their comedy potential. Her bright and chirpy voice is silvery in timbre, although occasionally too piercing in quality for my taste. However, it does not help that the role requires the soprano to sing so many higher notes on unflattering ‘e’ and ‘i’ vowels (as I discovered myself when I sang this part a few years ago in an amateur production). A smoother legato line would have been preferable during Rose’s solo which begins the madrigal “When the buds are blossoming”, particularly in the run up to the A, but otherwise Ms Freston turned in a vivacious and winsome performance.
As Richard Dauntless (or Dick, as he is usually called), Hal Cazalet acted the part superbly and was every inch the cocky, uncouth and over-confident sailor. His light tenor is pleasing on the ear with nice clean diction, although some of his sustained high notes sounded underpowered. A very agile performer, Cazalet deserves special praise for his extremely impressive Hornpipe dancing skills.
Richard Burkhard makes a splendidly over-the-top Sir Despard. Another G&S ‘natural’, he was clearly relishing every word of his text and sang with a rich, resonant bass - powerful enough to make a dramatic impact during his song “Oh why am I moody and sad?” but still possessing suitable agility to easily cope with the rapid-fire patter numbers.
Mezzo-soprano Heather Shipp was a genuinely bizarre Mad Margaret; although her crazed acting was so exaggerated that it was difficult to feel sympathy for her as a tragic abandoned woman because all the emphasis was on the comic side of her character. Ms Shipp possesses a rich and vibrant mezzo but the nature of this role gives her few opportunities to show off the voice properly – although it is heard to its best advantage in the slow section of her aria “To a garden full of posies” which was heartfelt and sung with a beautiful dark timbre.
As the ghost of Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, Steven Page almost stole the show with a stylish and powerfully sung rendition of “When the night wind howls”. Making a dramatic entrance in a long dark cloak, Page’s tall and commanding stage presence was reminiscent of Mozart’s Commendatore and he exuded the same gravitas, acting the role as a stereotypical WWI army general who likes to bellow orders and bully his subordinates. His love interest Dame Hannah was sung by mezzo Anne-Marie Owens who settled into the role after a somewhat shaky and vocally uneven start. Coming into her own in Act II, her feisty acting was hilarious in the scene where she threatens the cowardly Sir Ruthven with a gun. There was also some very strong support from Richard Angas, wonderfully funny in the character role of Old Adam and Gillene Herbert (Zorah) who possesses a delightfully pure and elegant soprano.
The chorus of Opera North were on top form and clearly having just as much fun as the audience. In the pit, the orchestra under John Wilson gave a spirited rendition of the score with some delightfully vivid and precise playing. Wilson’s tempi tended to err on the side of caution when it came to the patter numbers – and a piece like “My eyes are fully open” loses some of its comedy potential if it is not taken at an exaggerated breakneck speed. The version performed used Sullivan’s original, somewhat sedate and leisurely overture, as opposed to Geoffrey Toye’s revised arrangement and also contained Sir Ruthven’s Act II song “Away remorse…..Henceforth all the crimes” which is often cut.
Opera North have scored an indisputable hit with this brilliantly funny show and the audience didn’t stop laughing from the overture until the moment they walked out of the theatre. Ruddigore will also be performed in Salford Quays, Newcastle and Nottingham throughout February and March – not to be missed!
Faye Courtney
Opera Britannia
