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Play Review
Subtitled "The Witch's Curse," "Ruddigore" was staged by the Ventura County Gilbert and Sullivan Repertoire Company at the Hillcrest Center for the Arts. The production was highlighted by a haunted gallery of ghostly paintings that come to life. The company is a nonprofit organization of Gilbert and Sullivan enthusiasts who present faithful representations of two satirical operettas by librettist W.S. Gilbert and composer Sir Arthur Sullivan each season. "Ruddigore" bears the hallmarks of many G&S operettas, which include a goofy premise, a winsome heroine, assumed identities and a gaggle of witty and melodic songs. Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (John Gaston) is the standardbearer of a family curse that dictates he must perform a crime a day for the rest of his life or suffer the penalty of death by torture the day that his crimes cease. Since he has been avoiding the curse by masquerading as simple farmer Robin Oakapple, the curse has been transferred to his younger brother, the evil baronet Despard (John Pillsbury), who has become the scourge of the land, driving his lady, Mad Margaret (Molly Pei), positively bonkers in the process. Sir Ruthven is in love with the fair Rose Maybud (Megan Crockett), but his plan to court her has been foiled by his opportunistic foster brother Richard Dauntless (Eric Sheeler), a sailor who is on leave. Richard double-crosses Sir Ruthven and takes Rose for himself, triggering, in the first act, wacky backand-forth partner-swapping as the two battle it out for Rose's affections. At the end of Act I, the couples are all paired up amicably, and this might as well have been the end of the show. The curse, however, takes over the plot in the second act. Criminal deeds In Act II, Sir Ruthven's true identity is revealed by Richard, and he must begin committing crimes in Despard's stead. When his crimes are not deemed vicious enough, Ruthven faces a virtual "court of dishonor" when paintings of his dead ancestors come to life. They proceed to admonish and threaten him for his not-so-wicked deeds, which include filing a false income tax return ("Everybody does that!" the ghosts exclaim). In the end, a typically convoluted G&S plot twist ties things up neatly in a rousing finale. John Gaston and Megan Crockett shine as the young Sir Ruthven and Rose. As Richard Dauntless, Eric Sheeler may not have the voice his co-stars have, but he more than makes up for it with his comic acting talents, not to mention dancing up a mean hornpipe. Dependable John Pillsbury does his usual impeccable job in the key role of Despard, but Molly Pei steals the show with her daffy portrayal of the looney Mad Margaret. Key supporting players include Steve Perren as Ruthven's dead uncle Sir Roderic and Terry Fishman as Sir Ruthven's gofer, Old Adam Goodheart. Most of the rapidfire patter songs in "Ruddigore" are sung by groups rather than individuals, making the lyrics doubly hard to articulate in unison; however, the cast carries it off without a hitch. Most noteworthy was the trio of Sir Ruthven, Sir Despard and Mad Margaret singing the hilarious "My Eyes Are Fully Open." Special kudos to set designer S.B. Murray for the brilliant portrait gallery set in the second act, in which the deceased baronets pose as fulllength paintings before literally stepping out from the walls to confront Sir Ruthven, occasionally even spooking the audience during their songs. Sullivan's wonderful melodies often take a back seat to Gilbert's acrobatic lyrics, but two of his best were "If Somebody There Chanced to Be," beautifully sung by Megan Crockett, and "There Grew a Little Flower," by Lalanya Gunn (as Dame Hannah) and Steve Perren. The company's next production is "The Mikado," scheduled for March. Auditions will be held Nov. 17. For information, call (805) 491-6103 or visit the website www.vdgsrc.org. |
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