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People's reaction to Gilbert and Sullivan's operas is generally either one of geekish enthusiasm or absolute repulsion. Ruddigore, originally produced in 1887 at the Savoy Theatre, is unlikely to draw in any new members to the unnervingly committed flock of Gilbert and Sullivan devotees. The melodramatic plot centres on Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (Michael Reed), whose family are cursed by a wicked spell that dictates that the baronet of Ruddigore must commit an evil crime every day, or else he will face the fate of a torturous and brutal death. In a desperate attempt to avoid this, Ruthven runs away to the village of Rederring, where he adopts the name and identity of Robin Oakapple, a homely farmer. Here, he falls for the beguiling charms of the unashamedly coquettish Rose Maybud (played by Catherine Pope). However, being the stuttering and awkward suitor that he is (think Hugh Grant) he employs the dashing Dick Dauntless (Ronan Busfield) to woo Rose on his behalf. If you can't guess what happens next, hang your head in shame. Yes, true to the much tried-and-tested formula, a love-triangle ensues: Dick also falls in love with Rose and instead of proposing to her on Ruthven's behalf, he proposes to her himself. Cue a series of misunderstandings, and the nauseating fairy-tale ending of all loose ends being neatly tied up: Ruthven frees himself from his curse and is therefore free to marry Rose, much to the delight of the audience, if indeed anyone still cares at this point. The opera is, as the directors (Simon Tavener and Daniel Collins) are keen to emphasise, deeply influenced by melodrama, and therefore the acting is in general shamelessly over-the-top and tongue-in-cheek. In the programme notes, the directors wisely chose to highlight the "nonsensical nature of the plot": a good decision, since the appeal of the opera depends on this farcical humour alone. I've never been a big fan of Gilbert and Sullivan's compositions, and this opera just confirms it: some of the songs are simply too fast for the words to be heard clearly, if at all. To further compound this problem, the musical director (Daniel Collins) failed to ensure that the actors actually sing in time with the band. In fact, when the chorus sing there is the combined effect of actors singing out of time with one another and with the band. That being said, Ronan Busfield has a captivatingly rich voice to match his persona as the enamoured suitor, whilst Catherine Pope's singing is equally impressive, especially as she is originally an alto singing what is essentially a soprano part. All in all, however, this production is not yet polished: I saw it on the first night, and it shows. This production won't change your mind about Gilbert and Sullivan, so if you love them, you'll love this production of Ruddigore; if you detest them, stay well away. Tram-anh Doan, 04.02.03 |
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