Ruddigore

Ruddigore is quite a complex Gilbert and Sullivan comic opera and needs to be followed quite closely to fully appreciate the piece. Sound was of a good level throughout with a lot of the dialogue cleverly being played downstage. Unfortunately, there was a little heckling and joining in from some audience members - I was pleased to see the professional way the cast simply carried on and made no acknowledgement. Well done.

The set by Andy Exley and his team was quite intricate and gave the cast some extra entrance and exit points. It was bright and cheerful in the village, but when we moved to Ruddigore Castle in the second half it was gloomy, dark and depressing, all the portraits swivelled to let the pictures painted come to life. I liked the way the large chair was offset on the stage and was put to good use  by the actors in the scene. Peter Fitton as Robin looked very at home curled in it having his conversation with Dave Edwards (Old Adam), it had a very authentic feel to it. The lighting throughout was on cue and was both pertinent and sympathetic to the scenes. The costumes (supplied by The Boyz) were very pretty and delicately bright for the ladies, each scene was a fabulous visual tableau. The gentlemen's costumes were equally fine and very cohesive, the come to life portraits matched well with their pictures. 

Jon Gibson as M.D. took us on a prodigious journey music wise. His orchestra of eleven musicians sounded fabulous - the levels between the music and the singers was good and both could be heard clearly. The singers were comfortable and followed his lead well - I just have a little picky personal niggle for the full chorus numbers, please fully finish the ends of the words to the letter. It is very easy in G&S to jump straight to the next phrase as it is quick but please concentrate and don't drop or swallow those final letters. There was a slight musical cue missed but in Gilbert and Sullivan it can be split second timing for the Principal before sneaking a breath and jumping into the next song and melody,  it did not detract from the audience's enjoyment.

The chorus had some some super energy onstage and lots of animated faces, they reacted well to the implications from the dialogue and portrayed the ensemble numbers well. Harmonies sounded strong and well practiced. I was pleased to see personality in all the Principal characters, I do understand the restraints within G&S but there is always room for full reaction, a cheeky wink or head inclination - those little extra bits that really bring a production to life.Anita Stuttard (Chorus Director) and Peter Shellard (Principal Director) had obviously spoken to the whole cast about this as it truly gave their production an extra verve.

Gwen Hallas Friedrich played the fickle Rose. I loved her inclusion of her etiquette book, it was very much an extension of herself yet, it almost deserved a separate round of applause itself (it was almost a character all of its own). Her vocals were very solid with no wobble in her upper register, she had great strength and bottom in her voice which gave us a lovely rounded sound with no shriek. Her chemistry with both of her suitors Robin (Peter Fitton) and Richard Dauntless (Colin Garside-Trickett) was evident, they were all very comfortable on stage and timing was spot on. Both Colin and Peter had quite physical characterisations and they both used their stage space well, diction and projection was good both in dialogue and in vocals. It thrills me every time I hear Colin sing - there is no cheating and sliding of notes, it is always clear and true . The choreography from both of their characters was executed to a good solid standard, it was very evident that they both knew exactly what they were doing. Tim Kieley as the wronged Sir Despard and Jane Hyde as Mad Margaret shared some great moments, their timing and delivery during the whole "Basingstoke" scene was excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed the "patter" song (My Eyes Are Fully Open) between Jane,Tim and Robin - diction and pace were phenomenal throughout this difficult number. 

Dave Edwards as Old Man Adam and Greta Shellard as Dame Hannah helped to keep great pace, they both displayed some strong vocals with lovely tone and gave some good characterisations and facial expressions to the audience. There was not one weak link in this production and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you for your hospitality, I look forward to seeing you all again very soon.
 

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