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| Wayne Hiebert, The Ottawa Citizen / Shawne Elizabeth is the insouciant Rose Maybud and Daniel Gillis portrays the slightly dimwitted Richard Dauntless. |
"The First Act," claims the program handed out to Friday's opening-night Centrepointe Theatre crowd, "although long, was reasonably well-received by audiences and critics alike."
"The Second Act, however, was thought to drag and to lack any dramatic shape."
There were no boos, hisses or catcalls Friday night, though, as the Savoy Society's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's eighth opera, directed by Pat MacDonald, sailed flawlessly through the night, or at least 2.5 hours of it, and was not so much brave as confident, entertaining patrons with wit, song and drama to boot.
The play tells of Ruthven Murgatroyd, a shy and diffident lad who is avoiding a family curse by living in the small village of Rederring, under the pseudonym Robin Oakapple. The curse, put on the family by a witch some 21 generations earlier, states that every Baronet of Ruddigore, the title which Ruthven rightfully should bear, must commit one crime every day or die in unspeakable agony.
Ruthven's love for Rose Maybud, the most beautiful and eligible maiden in all of Rederring, eventually exposes him as the true baronet, however, and lets his younger brother, Sir Despard, off the crime-spree hook. Ruthven must, until he can find a way to extricate himself from this curse, get used to a life of crime, without the girl.
Ruddigore is very much the "parody of melodrama" that is promised. Everything here is stretched and exaggerated, from Christy Bindhardt's delightful and spare set -- with its cartoon-like odd angles of Rose's two-dimensional house and stellated sun poking from behind a cloud -- to the over-the-top facial gestures of all the actors. They make frequent comic asides, and Gilbert and Sullivan's notoriety for humorous social commentary is observed, with topical references to "Shawinigate," Jean Chrétien, Stockwell Day, Marlen Cowpland and others.
The acting, both spoken and sung, is very strong, and well cast. Richard Langlois, as Ruthven-Robin, is perfectly hesitant and meek, the ideal match for the insouciant Maybud, played by Shawne Elizabeth. Doug MacDonald's evil Sir Despard is a wonderful caricature of that type; tall, dark and gaunt, top-hatted, black-caped and moustached
(until, that is, Ruthven is exposed, allowing Despard to hand him the cape and moustache). Ruthven's foster-brother, Richard Dauntless, a slightly dimwitted sailor who is the catalyst for much of the story's action, is rendered another over-the-top, or perhaps under-the-top in his case, caricature by actor Daniel Gillis.
The show was stolen, however, by Meredith Matthews' performance as Mad Margaret, the town wench, whose unrequited love for Sir Despard drives her barmy. Her wide-eyed lunacy and gestures of instability were frighteningly real. Her singing, too, showed great range, from the smoky depths of the solo aria Cheerily Carols the Lark, to the rapid staccato bursts of My Eyes are Fully Open, a trio performed with Ruthven and Despard.
All of this was firmly supported by a 17-piece orchestra, led by conductor Allison Woyiwada. And while it would be unfair to single just one musician from the group for commendation, it was surprising to discover afterwards that the flute section consisted of just one: flautist Beverly Robinson.
Ruddigore runs Apr. 1 and from April 4-7 at Centrepointe Theatre, 101 Centrepointe Dr. Tickets, from $12-22, are available through the box office or by phoning 727-6650.