Ruddigore

Synopsis

The Wicked Baronets of Ruddigore have been cursed to do one bad deed a day or die in agony. The current incumbent tries to avoid his duties by disguising himself as a farmer, but he is discovered and forced to resume his title. He does his best to do one "bad" deed a day (like forging his own will) until the family portraits come to life to advise him. With some of Sullivan's best tunes and a typically silly plot, including a corps of bridesmaids looking for a wedding. Ruddigore remains one of the most popular of the G&S operas.

Our Review:

25 February 2010

We’re told that W.S Gilbert felt that the score provided by Arthur Sullivan for Ruddigore was too subtle and did not bring out the melodramatic and comedic elements. If so, he would have been delighted with the new production from Opera North which shamelessly (and successfully) exploits the gothic and comic potential of the piece even if it cannot entirely disguise its inherent weakness.

It is hard to summarise the plot of Ruddigore, not because of its complexity but rather its inconsistency which results in the motivation of characters changing sometimes several times in a single scene. To escape a family curse that requires him to commit a crime a day Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (Grant Doyle) fakes his death and assumes the identity of Robin Oakapple as whom he falls in love with Rose Maybud (Amy Freston) who lives her life in accordance with the rules of etiquette. The discovery of his...

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