In a small town in Cornwall called Ruddigore, a terrible curse abounds. Long ago a witch, burning at the stake, jinxed the place so that henceforth each Baronet of Ruddigore must commit a crime a day or else be tortured to death by ghostly ancestors.
The belle of the town, Rose, is in love with Robin. Robin is in love with Rose. But, of course, they are each oblivious to the other’s love and Rose marries another. An evil baronet arrives, a mad woman named Margaret sings, Robin becomes cursed – and after a lot of chaos and comical upset set to music, all ends well. Knowing that everything will be happily resolved makes watching a delight. Though not as well-known as Pirates of Penzance or The Mikado, this show by the Gilbert & Sullivan society looks to be genuinely warm and funny.
The first meeting between Robin and Rose is sweetly awkward. Rose is played by Emily Brinson, whose voice is simply stunning; very feminine and clearly powerful; even holed away in the music room up miles of stairs in Queen’s College, she was enchanting. She laments the fact that she “may not hint” at her love for Robin because her Book of Etiquette forbids it. Robin (played by William Yeldham) arrives and seeks her advice, playing that old trick of pretending his friend is lovesick; she plays along and of course we all know that the ‘friends’ they speak of are themselves.
This scene of true love unspoken contrasts nicely with a scene later in the play, where Mad Margaret (Lydia Ellis) and her old love, the no longer evil Sir Despard (Christopher Pyrah) finally get married. Their song is called ‘I once was a very abandoned person’ – their strutting about the ‘stage’ and wildly exaggerated facial expressions are very comical and the ability to act and sing is a quality seen throughout. This is clear in Mad Margaret’s earlier scene: Lydia Ellis’s voice is perfect for her role, warbling when she wants it to be but not weak; her eyes roll as she spits plosive bouts of spiteful comments across the stage area and her creeping, vague smile screams ‘mad cat lady’.
Despard too, before their marriage, has an equally amusing scene of his own. He plods on stage and in a deep, rolling voice demands (in song, of course) what actually seems sadly pitiful: “why am I moody and sad?” But the play is not all romance. There is also a bromantic scene between Robin and Richard, Robin’s foster brother (played by Oliver Shaw). Richard is a laddish type who tries to alleviate Robin’s pining (reminiscent of Romeo’s for Rosaline) with a good few slaps on the back and some cheering words. Predictably, it doesn’t have quite the desired effect.
If you’re wondering how to get yourself in a Christmassy mood several weeks premature, or just can’t wait for Oxmas, then going to see this is probably the answer.
Ruddigore is on at Corpus Christi Auditorium from 21st-23rd November (with matinees). Tickets are £6-£8 and are available here
