Ruddigore, or The Witch’s Curse tells the story of Baron Murgatroyd whose family having been cursed by a witch must perform one evil deed per day or suffer a most terrible and painful death. Sir Despard Murgatroyd who has been living with this awful curse for ten years is therefore delighted to discover that his elder brother Ruthven, long believed dead is actually alive and therefore the rightful inheritor to the curse. However, this discovery is not well received by Ruthven who has for the past ten years been living under the assumed identity of Robin Oakapple and who is in love with the very lovely but very prim Miss Rose Maybud. Ruthven’s (Robin) troubles worsen when his ancestors come back from the dead to warn him that he will suffer a most painful death if he does not carry out the terms of the curse.
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| Photo by Robert Workman for Opera North |
Whilst this is one of Gilbert and Sullivan’s lesser known operas, it is none the less equally as brilliant as The Mikado, Pirates of Penzance or HMS Pinafore. It is full of the quick and witty lyrics, the paradoxes, melodrama and humour that you would expect from their work and will have you laughing throughout the entire evening. Anyone who has never seen an opera before should start by seeing something like this as it is light and easy to follow, sung in English and invariably ends on a happy note. This particular production by Opera North not only ticks all the boxes mentioned above but goes beyond that with its clever staging.
As the curtain goes up, the audience watches the story unfold in the style of a silent movie; black and white photographs and captions are accompanied by the orchestra and set the scene for the show. This in turn then reveals the opening scenes and a stage decorated in brown and beige colours very reminiscent of a sepia photograph. This theme continues throughout the entire show and is contrasted only by the bridesmaids’ white dresses and sailors’ uniforms (all styled circa 1920s) which really highlighted the sepia effect and added to the overall visual enjoyment.
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| Photo by Robert Workman for Opera North |
Another stunning visual effect is in the second act when the ghosts of the Murgatroyd family come to life through their portraits. I believe an illusionist was responsible for this particular special effect and it was certainly very cleverly done.
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| Photo by Robert Workman for Opera North |
As previously mentioned, the music and lyrics were sharp and quick witted, full of humour and at one point even re-arranged to make more topical for today’s time – something which wasn’t missed by the audience and they showed their appreciation and amusement with huge applause and laughter. At times the lines were sung so fast that it was a veritable tongue twister of words and yet the performers managed not only to sing the lines of the songs but also add the humour through their expressions. I think it was perhaps the mannerisms and expressions of the performers that really brought the piece to life. Whilst the entire cast were already familiar with the opera, having performed in the same exact same roles last year, it seemed as though they were going all out to emphasise the melodrama and humour of the piece and sometimes just a look or an action would be enough to dissolve the audience into fits of laughter. The energy they put into their performance only added to the overall enjoyment of the piece and it was clear to see that the performers were enjoying themselves as much as the audience.
Having had a behind the scenes look at the show and having enjoyed the performance so much, I would not hesitate to recommend this to anyone. It is everything you would want a show to be, light, witty, full of great songs and music with some stunning visual effects and fantastic performances from all involved. There really didn’t seem to be one weak cast member amongst them and the fact that they had all worked together before really showed in their performance. It was a delight from start to finish and left you smiling as you went home.
Opera North will be performing Ruddigore in Leeds on selected dates until 27th Oct before taking the show on tour to Nottingham, Newcastle & Salford Quays and ending with a run at The Barbican in London. For more information on the show and to book tickets (priced £8 - £75) see http://www.operanorth.co.uk/events/ruddigore/
To read my post as guest blogger for The Culture Vulture – Behind the Scenes with Opera North http://theculturevulture.co.uk/blog/behindscenes/behind-the-scenes-with-opera-north/
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