Gilbert and Sullivan's Ruddigore has always provided me with great delights in the vast array of musical gems and witty words that it contains. The music at times runs from the light hearted to the momentary peaks of grand opera. There are tunes that immediately set the toes a-tapping (try to avoid it in the patter song ‘My eyes are fully open’!!) and the lips a-whistling. The words range from the witty to the grim. There is high drama, humour, mixed-up personalities and love interests (Gilbert’s perpetual topsy-turveydom). There are the lead heroes, of course, and the chorus of singing and dancing lads and maids.

This is W.S. Gilbert’s ghost story – perhaps most well-known for the scene in Act 2 when the portraits of the family ancestors come to life. It may well be that this is a musical work that you have not heard of in its entirety.

THE PLOT

The story is set in the remote fishing village of Rederring in Cornwall. It has the distinction of being the only village in the world that has a corps of professional bridesmaids who are perpetually on duty – but never called. The village is overlooked by Ruddigore Castle – ancestral home of the bad Baronets of Ruddigore. The story goes that the first Baronet persecuted witches until one tortured old hag cursed him and his heirs to do one crime a day for evermore or die in torture.

The last Baronet (Roderic) had two nephews. The elder brother (Ruthven) ran away and hid in the village as a simple peasant – Robin Oakapple – to escape the curse. His younger brother (Despard), believing him dead, took the title and inherited the curse.

Now comes the love entanglement. Rose Maybud, a fair maid of the village, loves Robin – and he her. However, he is reticent to show his true feelings. When his foster brother, Richard Dauntless, returns from the sea, Robin enlists his help to press his suit. Richard however is smitten with Rose and woos her himself. Rose however finally chooses Robin. Despard’s old fiancée was Margaret who he abandoned upon assuming the title. She became mad and took to frequenting the local graveyard. Hannah, an elderly spinster of the village, was similarly deserted by Roderic on their wedding day.

Trying to dispose of Robin, Richard tells Despard that he is really Ruthven. Despard and Ruthven swap places – Despard becoming good (and accepting Margaret) and Ruthven moving to the Castle to take up his evil curse. When he proves not too good at this, he is regaled by the ghosts of his ancestors who step from their portraits in the main hall to threaten him that he must carry out his evil deeds. During this time, Hannah is reunited with Roderic.

Ruthven comes up with the inspirational logic that a Baronet of Ruddigore can only die through refusing to commit his daily crime; but refusing is tantamount to suicide; but suicide itself is a crime (as indeed it was in Gilbert’s day) and therefore Roderic should not have died. This allows Roderic to return to Hannah and Ruthven to claim Rose Maybud. The curse is broken! Richard has to console himself with one of the professional bridesmaids.

G&S HISTORY

The operetta ‘The Mikado’ had been an unqualified success around the world. It ran for 672 performances (nearly two years) in London alone after opening at the Savoy Theatre on March 14th 1885. As a follow up, Gilbert decided on a parody of the popular Victorian melodrama – complete with wicked nobleman, haunted castle and portraits that come to life.

Sir Arthur Sullivan, on the other hand, was extremely busy in his own right. He was commissioned to write an oratorio ‘The Golden Legend’ for the Leeds festival of 1886. This duly won him the accolade of ‘Mozart of England’. He had an extensive round of social engagements (including entertaining Franz Liszt on a visit to London) and an elegant mistress.

Ruddigore opened on January 22nd 1887. It met with mixed critical acclaim. However it ran for 288 performances and Gilbert was to exclaim ‘I could do with a few more such failures’.

THE BACKGROUND

Victorian theatre and pulp fiction was fascinated with ‘blood-and-thunder’ murder and horror stories. After all it spawned Arthur Conan Doyle and Bram Stoker amongst many others. Gilbert initially called the opera ‘Ruddygore’ which he said meant melodramatic red blood. It was misquoted as Bloodygore. It was considered ‘scarcely pretty on ladies lips’. Gilbert commented ‘if I say I admire your ruddy countenance, I do not mean I like your bloody cheek!’

It is said that he suggested renaming it to ‘Kensington Gore’ or ‘Not So Good As The Mikado!’ He did however modify the name soon after the opening.

THE SONGS

The overture to Ruddigore is a more ‘classical’ form than earlier efforts (such as ‘HMS Pinafore’). The themes from the major songs are all there – developed in the majesty of a full orchestra. At 6 minutes 30 seconds it is in keeping with overall length of the work.

The opera contains some of Gilbert’s finest lyrics and more than once Sullivan veered towards grand opera. There is none more so than:

‘When the night wind howls in the chimney cowls and the bat in the moonlight flies,
And inky clouds, like funeral shrouds, sail over the midnight skies
When the footpads quail at the night-bird’s wail and black dogs bay at the moon
Then is the spectre’s holiday – then is the night’s high noon’

Of particular note are:

“I know a youth” – Duet: Rose and Robin.
“When the night wind howls” – Sir Roderic
“My eyes are fully open” – Trio: Margaret, Sir Ruthven, Despard

There is also the humorous chorus “Hail the bridegroom – Hail the bride!!” which the bridesmaids trot out every time they get a hint that someone might be getting married: more in hope and desperation than celebration.

Of interest too: As a word of control of Mad Margaret’s fits of frenzy, Despard uses ‘Basingstoke’. One of Despard’s other favourite expressions is ‘Make it so!’ – (so that’s where they’ve boldly gone to, Captain Pickard!)

STAGE PERFORMANCE.

Ruddigore is unfortunately rarely played these days – more’s the pity. However with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company and the Carl Rosa Opera vying with each other in their annual programmes maybe this will be soon rectified.

I did have the rare pleasure of seeing the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company perform it in Birmingham in 1974.

RESOURCES

This CD recording of Ruddigore was recorded half a century ago when D’Oyly Carte was an institution in performance, touring and the recording stduio. The Company was blessed with a trove of soloists inclusing John Reed. He was the fifth in a line going directly back to George Grossmith of comic baritones. He has followed the tradition with the Company by playing all the leading comedian roles over three decades (1951 to 1979). His diction in even the fastest of the patter songs defied belief for its clarity. In Ruddigore this opus is “My boy, you may take it from me”. The other soloists are all competent in their roles. The orchestral sound is crisp, clear and bright.

This recording is one of a series featuring all the popular operettas performed by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company originally released by DECCA on the London label. Unfortunately this recording does not come with the spoken dialogue. My CD copy comes from 1993 and is an Analogue to Digital Remaster.

I can heartily recommend it.

RUDDIGORE - Gilbert & Sullivan (1962)
The D’Oyly Carte Opera Company
The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London: Conducted by Isidore Godfrey OBE.
Soloists: John Reed (Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd);
Kenneth Sandford (Sir Despard Murgatroyd);
Donald Adams (Sir Roderic Murgatroyd); Jean Hindmarsh (Rose Maybud);
Jean Allister (Mad Margaret); Gillian Knight (Dame Hannah)
CD: LONDON 417355-2 (£11.99) Running Time: 86:09

It is coupled with the mini-opera COX AND BOX or “The Long-Lost Brothers” (32:19) which was written by the librettist Burnard and Sullivan.

THE VIDEO

Surprising there is very little Gilbert and Sullivan available on video and even less on DVD. In the 1980s ten of the operettas were produced as a series for the BBC. They featured the London Symphony Orchestra and the Ambrosian Opera Chorus. Actors and actresses, popular of the day, were chosen to play the lead roles (very much as Gilbert would probably done under his stage direction). The executive producer was George Walker. This whole series has now been released on DVD: either as a complete set of ten discs; a box of five ‘popular’ operas, or individually. Sadly it appears that they are only available in Region 1 format.

Ruddigore features Vincent Price (no less) as Sir Despard Murgatroyd – a role which Gilbert must have written for him specially. He cannot sing but that does not matter here – he copes admirably with the pace of the patter songs. It is a classic performance of malevolence in the first act and then contrition in the second. He is partnered by Keith Michell (remember his Henry VIII?) as Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (or Robin Oakapple). His is not the best of singing voices either but he keeps the comic rhythm of the piece alive. I think Gilbert himself would have enjoyed this topsy-turvey pairing especially as Price (playing the younger brother) was easily fifteen years older than Michell at the time of filming.

Other parts are played as follows:
Donald Adams (Sir Roderic – a role he plays on the above mentioned CD too)
John Treleaven (Richard Dauntless)
Sandra Dugdale (Rose Maybud)
Ann Howard (Mad Margaret)

The scenery is quite primitive by today’s standard – larger than a theatre stage but not using outdoor shooting. This does however give an uncanny theatrical feel to the proceedings. The picture quality is quite good. The sound is excellent. Each act is introduced by Douglas Fairbanks Junior who gives a short account of the action to come.

The DVD comes complete with the libretto in a handy booklet. There are few extras – the songs can be chosen individually from a menu. There is a short biography of Gilbert and Sullivan on a series of text screens.

RUDDIGORE - ACORN MEDIA DVD AMP5386 $24.99

I bought mine from Border Books, N Dale Mabry Highway, Tampa Florida.
It is available by internet order from Amazon.com. As this is the only recorded and available Ruddigore to my knowledge I can heartily recommend it too.

THE LIBRETTO

“Ruddigore” or “The Witch’s Curse”.
International Music Publications Ltd (1993) £4.99

GILBERT AND SULLIVAN TRIVIA

Please don’t quote me on this one!! I have heard it said (within their hallowed halls, no less) that the portraits in entrance hall to the Haunted Mansion in The Magic Kingdom at DisneyWorld, Florida (they change emphasis and shape as you look at them) are in part inspired by the portraits that come to life from this operetta.

This is one of a series of reviews of the operettas of Gilbert and Sullivan written to coincide with the reissue of the definitive series of recordings by the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company in April 2003. Details of other posted reviews can be found at: An Appreciation of Gilbert & Sullivan (In Fourteen Chapters!!)



Recommended: Yes