Ruddigore, or The Witch’s Curse, finds itself at Central Hall this week with G&S’ adaptation of the 1887 comic opera by Gilbert and Sullivan. Set in Cornwall, Artistic Directors Jenny Jones and Claire Smith bring to the stage the complicated themes of love and identity in their witty new script of Ruddigore. The opera tells the story of Ruthven Murgatroyd, the first Baronet of Ruddigore who was cursed by an evil witch. As Ruthven’s descendants were condemned to commit a crime every day, or suffer an agonising death at the hands of his ancestors, Ruthven tries to escapes this fate by faking his death, leaving this title to his brother in order to retreat into a quiet life. Yet, as the play unfolds, several questions are posed throughout as tensions arises when Ruthven falls in love with Rose Mayburd.
Despite the director Jenny Jones informing me that this was their first rehearsal, I was pleasantly surprised by what I had seen to keep my attention throughout the play. All the characters seem to be well rehearsed, with Stefan Grant in particular who plays Sir Despard Murgatroyd, portrays the villainous role wonderfully, perfectly executing his comedic dialogue with the right timing, his lines accentuated with a brilliantly mischievous accent and rolling of the tongue of some words. He exclaims “I stole an orphanage and robbed it” was delivered with his hilariously evil facial expressions without being too sinister. Annabel Gipp also played up to the madness of Mad Margaret fittingly well, delivering in the first half a dishevelled and exasperated performance as she strolls up and down the stage. Giving credit to Annabel’s great acting, she manages to maintain this convincing performance through her body language well during the songs. and later brings a flirtatious and playful nature, characterising the unstable figure the ‘madwoman’.
The directors work with the slightly complicated plotline and characterisation by interchanging between the scenes with the group of sailors and the bridesmaids with scenes of the main characters allowing it to never stray too long on a specific part of the plot, striking the right balance of pace in the play. Whilst the sailors and bridesmaids appear in the second half do not to be fully interacting or working with each other on stage, this later changes when they enter into a dance number and as they gather into partners alongside the main characters, the chemistry can be witnessed between each of the characters. I thoroughly enjoyed the bridesmaid’s sweet voices working wonderfully harmonious in a choir were which were sweetly projected in the large hall, not forgetting to mention the sailors’ musically sound and clear voices blending well together.
It is also worth highly commending the costumes and the orchestra band. Mad Margaret’s long, dark untamed hair and mismatched tartan rags in comparison to Rose’s neat attire, wearing a plain and simple green dress are gentle reminders of who is who if you got confused. Ruthven Murgartroyd’s red cape also added strong comedic effort as he ridiculously swoops onto stage, the cape flying above him which marks his grand entrance into every scene. In Act II, several male characters present an array of extravagant, dark robes and suits in the opera as they line up – the costume director must be commended for capturing the look of 19th century. A special mention must go to the orchestra who played a consistent role throughout. The orchestra helped gather momentum in the scenes, and worked to maintain the feelings of tension and comedy in between short flitting scenes, never failing to remain silent for more than 5 minutes. For the first rehearsal, things already seem to be shaping up really well. I look forward to seeing what more they will bring at the opening of the opera.
Whilst this opera is adapted from the 1887 script, it doesn’t seem to be lacking in any way, nor does it feel adapted in an overly modernised way for a modern audience. It is gripping, hilarious and all of the characters showcase brilliant talent. If you’ve never seen an opera, Ruddigore will leave you wanting to see more.
Ruddigore will be performed at the University of York’s Central Hall from February 25th through to February 27th at 7.30pm, and February 28th at 6.30pm.
Tickets are £10 for adults and £5 for students, and are available to buy at Vanbrugh Stalls on the University campus the week before the performance from 12-2pm Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and the week during the performance at the same time Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Tickets can also be bought on the door before each performance.