Ruddigore

The venue was a lovely small theatre in the Old Library, with the orchestra squeezed into the front row space on one side of the auditorium. As ever, the script was full of fun and pithy sayings nicely adapted to the Swindon audience and the music was very good, after a slightly shaky start. The director of the show led a good production team to help with all aspects of the show. The stage management was unobtrusive, the set and music were good, the technical team was on hand to deal with sound problems and Front of House staff were warmly welcoming. The vision for the show was to suggest the rural idyll and the gaunt portrait gallery of the Baronet’s home. This was well done with the use of the set, the lighting levels and the sound. The cast were well disciplined in moving freely around a rather small stage, in sustaining their reactions and moods and in portraying the various characters vividly.

The set for Act 1 included a beautiful little cottage with roses on a trellis by the door and a wooden crate. This allowed maximum space for the professional bridesmaids to dance and move easily – and for Mad Meg to use the whole stage in Act 1. The set changed for Act 2 to the portrait gallery of ancestors of the baronets Murgatroyd. The matching of the portraits to the cast characters was very well done, with the changes onstage very efficient and believable. The haze machine use was effective here, to give a sense of mystery and spookiness. 

The costumes, mostly hired, were key to creating a believable historic period, with the man in colourful suits and hats and the ladies mostly looking like country people. The bright coloured costumes brought the stage to life beautifully. On makeup, I felt that Old Adam needed his extra facial lines to be done in brown rather than black, to look more realistic.

The lighting was good, and the whole show was well lit, with only on downstage area in shadow at one point. The scenery change in the portrait gallery was done behind very bright lights shining into the audience – very effective but a little uncomfortable for elderly patrons facing the lights at the time. The changes of mood lighting, blue for Rose and red for the bridesmaids in the opening was very effective. The sound, including thunder, was very well timed and the sound levels were good. The music was played very well, supporting the singing and the action but not taking over at any time. I really enjoyed hearing the bassoon, muted French horn, the cello, and the drums, to pick out just a few of the musicians. It was good that the conductor was clearly visible to the cast onstage at all times, to co-ordinate the singing and playing.

This was a very enjoyable team production, with good performances from all the cast. The live orchestra added a lot to the production and the direction was very good.

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