The main theme of Ruddigore centres around a curse and its effect on the house of Murgatroyd. In some respects, this has similarities to the legend of the curse relating to the Princes of Monaco which dates from Raynier de Grimaut, scion of the powerful Grimaldi family who captured the castle of Monaco in 1297 and whose descendants have ruled the principality on and off ever since. He used and abused a beautiful maiden, who sought revenge and studied witchcraft for which she was sentenced to be burnt at the stake. She pronounced the curse that “never will a Grimaldi find happiness in marriage”. Whether any subsequent marital problems can be attributed to ‘the curse’ is anyone’s guess. In any event one wonders whether Gilbert was aware of this legend when developing his play.
The show opens with the massive overture followed by the Bridesmaids ensemble singing “Fair is Rose” and I was instantly impressed by the sound they made as a group. It was tight and harmonious. All of the bridesmaids ensemble singing was great throughout the show and always brought joy and hilarity into their scenes.
As Rose Maybud, Zoe Lancaster shone with her beautiful soprano voice. I particularly enjoyed her references to the ‘book of etiquette’ and her comedic timing was always on point. Her signing showed great control and suited the Gilbert and Sullivan songs perfectly.
As Robin Oakapple, James Douglas was brilliant and a definite comic standout, he always over the top and never missed a beat, particularly when using physical comedy. The Rose and Robin duet “I Know A Youth” was great and the two performers blended perfectly.
As Richard Dauntless, the sailor, Daniel Vigne showed great charisma and his smooth voice and breath control was a joy to listen to and I loved his happy go lucky approach to the character.
Another great performance was by Melissa Hill as Mad Margaret. She almost stole the show with her big solo entrance ‘Cheerily carols the Lark”, her singing voice was pretty and again suited the Gilbert and Sullivan score perfectly. Her character throughout the whole show was always over the top and comical.
As the ghost of the baronet Ruddigore, Sir Roderick Murgatroyd, Phil Elphinstone played the role with gusto and precision his ongoing gag of scaring Robin always got a laugh and I really enjoyed his performance.
Finally as Dame Hannah, Jenny Wakefield put on a stellar performance and was hilarious from the moment she stepped out onstage. She played the character with a stern and yet also loving quality, particularly in act 2. She, like many of the other performances in the show was brilliantly over the top. Her duet with Sir Roderick “There grew a little Flower” was a musical highlight for me.
The male ensemble produced a very strong sound and were always together. The few scenes that they had, especially the paintings come to life, definitely did not go unnoticed.
The GSOV Orchestra conducted by Trevor Henley provided a very tight and clean sound as they played through heavy G&S music.
The period costumes were lavish and spectacular, particularly the bridesmaid dresses and the Robin Oakapple costume.
Director Ron Pidcock has put together a very entertaining production that was rounded out with eye catching sets and simple yet effective lighting design.
