Ruddigore

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Ruddigore, or The Witch's Curse, is a comic opera in two acts, with music by Arthur Sullivan and libretto by W. S. Gilbert. It is one of the Savoy Operas and the tenth of fourteen comic operas written together by Gilbert and Sullivan. It was first performed by the D'Oyly Carte Opera Company at the Savoy Theatre in London on 22 January 1887.

The first night was not altogether a success. After some changes—including respelling the title (it had been Ruddygore)— it achieved a run of 288 performances. There were further changes and cuts, including a new overture, when Rupert D'Oyly Carte revived Ruddigore after the First World War. Although never a big money-spinner, it remained in the repertoire until the company closed in 1982. A centenary revival at Sadler's Wells in London restored the opera to almost its original first-night state.

In 2000, Oxford University Press published a scholarly edition of the score, edited by Sullivan scholar David Russell Hulme. It includes a substantial introduction that explains many of the changes, with the deleted material included in appendices. Many feel that the changes made by the authors and in 1920 were beneficial, while others continue to experiment with restoring some or all of the cut material in place of the traditional D'Oyly Carte version.

Contents

[edit] Background

Some of the plot elements of Ruddigore were introduced by Gilbert in his earlier one-act opera, Ages Ago (1869), including the tale of the wicked ancestor and the device of the ancestors stepping out of their portraits. Locals claim that the Murgatroyd ancestors in Ruddigore are based on the Murgatroyd family of East Riddlesden Hall, West Yorkshire.[1]

The opera also includes and parodies elements of comic melodrama. There is a villain who carries off the maiden; the priggishly good-mannered poor-but-virtuous-heroine; the hero in disguise, and his faithful old retainer who dreams of their former glory days; the snake in the grass sailor who claims to be following his heart; the wild, mad girl; the swagger of fire-eating patriotism; ghosts coming to life to enforce a curse; and so forth. But Gilbert, in his customary topsy-turvy fashion, turns the moral absolutes of melodrama upside down: The hero becomes evil, the villain becomes good, and the virtous maiden changes fiancés at the drop of a hat. The ghosts come back to life, foiling the curse, and all ends happily.

[edit] Roles

[edit] Mortals

  • Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd Disguised as Robin Oakapple, a Young Farmer (baritone)
  • Richard Dauntless His Foster-Brother - A Man-o'-war's-man (tenor)
  • Sir Despard Murgatroyd of Ruddigore, A Wicked Baronet (bass-baritone or baritone)
  • Old Adam Goodheart Robin's Faithful Servant (bass)
  • Rose Maybud A Village Maiden (soprano)
  • Mad Margaret (mezzo-soprano)
  • Dame Hannah Rose's Aunt (contralto)
  • Zorah Professional Bridesmaid (soprano)
  • Ruth Professional Bridesmaid (speaking/chorus)

[edit] Ghosts

  • Sir Rupert Murgatroyd The First Baronet[2]
  • Sir Jasper Murgatroyd The Third Baronet
  • Sir Lionel Murgatroyd The Sixth Baronet
  • Sir Conrad Murgatroyd The Twelfth Baronet
  • Sir Desmond Murgatroyd The Sixteenth Baronet
  • Sir Gilbert Murgatroyd The Eighteenth Baronet
  • Sir Mervyn Murgatroyd The Twentieth Baronet
  • Sir Roderic Murgatroyd The Twenty-first Baronet (bass-baritone)
  • Chorus of Officers, Ancestors, Professional Bridesmaids and Villagers

[edit] Synopsis

[edit] Act I

In the town of Rederring, in Cornwall, a chorus of professional bridesmaids frets that there have been no weddings for the last six months. All of the eligible young men are hopeful of a union with Rose Maybud, the prettiest maiden in the village, yet they are too timid to approach her.

The desperate bridesmaids ask Rose's aunt, Dame Hannah, if she would consider marrying, but she has vowed to remain eternally single. Many years previously, she had been betrothed to "a god-like youth" who turned out to be Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, one of the bad Baronets of Ruddigore. Only on her wedding day had she discovered his true identity.

Dame Hannah tells the bridesmaids about the curse of Ruddigore. Centuries ago, Sir Rupert Murgatroyd, the first Baronet of Ruddigore, had persecuted witches. One of his victims, as she was about to be burnt at the stake, cursed all future Baronets of Ruddigore to commit a crime every day, or perish in inconceivable agonies. Every Baronet of Ruddigore since then has fallen under the curse's influence, and died in agony once he could no longer bring himself continue a life of crime.

After the horrified bridesmaides exit, Dame Hannah greets her niece, Rose, and inquires whether there is any young man in the village whom she could love. Rose, who takes her ideas of Right and Wrong from a book of etiquette, replies that all of the young men she meets are either too rude or too shy. Dame Hannah asks particularly about Robin Oakapple, a virtuous farmer, but Rose replies that he is too frightened to approach her, and the rules of etiquette forbid her from speaking until she is spoken to. Robin enters, claiming to seek advice from Rose about "a friend" who is in love. Rose says that she has such a friend too, but neither of them is able to come to the point.

Richard Dauntless, Robin's foster-brother, arrives after ten years at sea. Robin tells him that he is afraid to declare his love to Rose, and Richard offers to speak to her on his behalf. When Richard sees Rose, he falls in love with her himself, and proposes immediately. After consulting her book of etiquette, Rose accepts. When Robin finds out what has happened, he points out his foster-brother's many flaws. Realizing her mistake, Rose breaks her engagement with Richard, and accepts Robin.

Sir Despard Murgatroyd, the current bad Baronet of Ruddigore, now enters, frightening everyone in his wake. Despard had become Baronet twenty years previously when his elder brother, Ruthven (pronounced "Rivven"), died mysteriously. Richard approaches him, and reveals that Robin Oakapple is in fact Despard's long-lost brother. The elated Despard declares that he is "free at last."

The village gathers to celebrate the nuptials of Rose and Robin. Sir Despard interrupts, revealing that Robin is his elder brother. Rose, horrified at his identity, resolves once again to marry Richard. Despard, now free of the curse, reunites with Mad Margaret, to whom he had once been betrothed. Robin leaves in disgrace to take up his rightful identity as Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd.

[edit] Act II

At Ruddigore Castle, Robin tries to come to grips with being a bad Baronet, a task at which he proves to be spectacularly lacking. His loyal retainer, Old Adam, suggests various evil crimes, but Robin prefers minor acts of rudeness that aren't criminal at all. Richard and Rose enter to ask Robin's consent to their marriage, which he gives grudgingly.

Robin's weak crimes stir his ancestral ghosts from their usual haunt of the castle's portrait gallery. The curse requires them to ensure that their successors are duly committing a crime every day, and to torture them to death if they fail. Robin's uncle, the late Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, orders him to "carry off a lady" that day. After the ghosts give him a sample of the agonies he would face, Robin reluctantly agrees. He tells Adam to go to the village and abduct a lady – any lady.

Despard has atoned for his previous evil acts and has married Mad Margaret. The two of them now live a life of charity. They come to the castle and urge Robin to renounce his life of crime. When Robin asserts that he has done no wrong yet, they remind him that he is morally responsible for all the crimes Despard had done in his stead. Realizing the extent of his guilt, Robin resolves to defy his ancestors.

Meanwhile, Adam has complied with Robin's orders and abducted Dame Hannah. However, she proves adept at defending herself, and Robin cries for his uncle's protection. An angry Sir Roderic once again steps down from his picture frame and dismisses Robin. He and Dame Hannah enjoy a brief reunion.

Robin interrupts them, accompanied by Rose, Richard, and the bridesmaids. He points out that each Ruddigore ancestor in turn has, at some point, declined to perform a daily crime and accepted his fate. However, in doing so, they have all effectively committed suicide – which is itself a crime. Thus, Robin's predecessors should never have died at all.

Now that Robin is free of the curse, Rose once again drops Richard and happily resumes her engagement to him. Roderic and Dame Hannah embrace, while Richard settles for the First Bridesmaid, Zorah.

Note: In the original ending, all of the ghosts came back to life at the end. In the revised ending that is usually performed today, only Sir Roderic comes back to life.

[edit] Musical numbers

  • Original Overture (includes "I once was as meek", "Oh, why am I moody and sad?", "Welcome, gentry", "The battle's roar is over", and "When a man has been a naughty Baronet")
  • Revised Overture (arranged by Geoffrey Toye, 1920; includes "I once was as meek", "When the night wind howls", "I know a youth", "My eyes are fully open", "I shipped, d'ye see" and Hornpipe)

[edit] Act I

  • 1. "Fair is Rose" (Chorus of Bridesmaids)[3]
  • 2. "Sir Rupert Murgatroyd" (Hannah and Chorus)
  • 3. "If somebody there chanced to be" (Rose)
  • 4. "I know a youth" (Rose and Robin)
  • 5. "From the briny sea" (Chorus of Bridesmaids)
  • 6. "I shipp'd, d'ye see, in a revenue sloop" (Richard and Chorus)
  • 6a. Hornpipe
  • 7. "My boy, you may take it from me" (Robin and Richard)
  • 8. "The battle's roar is over" (Rose and Richard)
  • 9. "If well his suit has sped" (Chorus of Bridesmaids)
  • 10. "In sailing o'er life's ocean wide" (Rose, Richard, and Robin)
  • 11. "Cheerily carols the lark" (Margaret)
  • 12. "Welcome, gentry" (Double Chorus)
  • 13. "Oh, why am I moody and sad?" (Sir Despard and Chorus)
  • 14. "You understand? I think I do" (Richard and Sir Despard)
  • 15. Finale Act I
    • "Hail the bride of seventeen summers" (Ensemble)
    • Madrigal, "When the buds are blossoming" (Ensemble)
    • "When I'm a bad Bart, I will tell taradiddles!" (Robin and Chorus)
    • "Oh, happy the lily" (Ensemble)

[edit] Act II

  • 16. "I once was as meek" (Sir Ruthven and Adam)
  • 17. "Happily coupled are we" (Rose and Richard)
  • 18. "In bygone days" (Rose with Chorus of Bridesmaids)
  • 19. "Painted emblems of a race" (Sir Ruthven, Sir Roderic, and Chorus of Ancestors)
  • 20. "When the night wind howls" (Sir Roderic and Chorus)
  • 21. "He yields, he yields" (Chorus)
  • 21a. (original) "Away, remorse!" ... "For thirty-five years I've been sober and wary" (Robin)
  • 21a. (replaced) "Away, remorse!" ... "Henceforth all the crimes" (Robin)[4]
  • 22. "I once was a very abandoned person" (Margaret and Despard)
  • 23. "My eyes are fully open" (Margaret, Sir Ruthven, and Despard)
  • 24. "Melodrame"
  • 25. "There grew a little flower" (Hannah with Sir Roderic)
  • 26. Finale Act II (Ensemble)
    • "When a man has been a naughty baronet"
    • For happy the lily" (reprise) (Ensemble)[5]

[edit] Versions

[edit] Changes during the initial run

The first night was not successful, partly due to controversy over the name and objections that bringing ghosts back to life and marrying them off was not suitable for a family entertainment. Over the coming days, Gilbert and Sullivan made numerous significant cuts and alterations.[6]

  • The title was initially Ruddygore, but due to claims that "ruddy" was too similar to the then-taboo curse word "bloody" (see, for example, the Pall Mall Gazette's satire of it here) [1]), it was shortly changed to Ruddigore. Gilbert's response to being told they meant the same thing was: "Not at all, for that would mean that if I said that I admired your ruddy countenance, which I do, I would be saying that I liked your bloody cheek, which I don't." [2] [3]
  • "I once was as meek" (No. 16) had two verses. In the original second verse, Robin's faithful servant says that he has changed his name from Adam Goodheart to Gideon Crawle. Old Adam is then referred to as "Gideon" for the rest of Act II. After the cut, he remained Old Adam throughout, except for a single erroneous reference ("Gideon Crawle, it won't do!") which persisted in many librettos well into the 20th Century.
  • "In bygone days" (No. 18) was cut from two verses to one.
  • "Painted emblems of a race" (No. 19) originally had two extra passages, including a March of the Ghosts after they descend from their frames, both of which were cut. The dialogue between Robin and the ghosts afterwards was also shortened.
  • The patter song after the recitative "Away, remorse!" (No. 21a) was changed from "For thirty-five years I've been sober and wary" to "Henceforth all the crimes that I find in the Times".
  • The dialogue scene among Robin, Despard and Margaret before the patter trio (No. 23) was shortened.
  • The dialogue scene before "There grew a little flower" (No. 25) was initially considerably longer, exploring the topsy-turvy idea that if Sir Roderic and Dame Hannah were married, her husband would be a ghost, and she would therefore be a wife and a widow at the same time (This concept was recycled in The Grand Duke).
  • Some members of the public were offended by the idea of bringing ghosts back to life in a comic opera that was presented as family entertainment, and as the technical mechanism of the portraits proved complex as well, instead of all of them being brought back to life, only Roderic was revivified. Somewhat implausibly, this required the chorus of bucks & blades from Act I to be present at the castle at the end of Act II, to provide a four-part chorus for the finale.

The original vocal score, published in 1887, represented the revised version of the text. The Oxford University Press edition, published in 2000, also represents this version, but has material from earlier versions included as appendices.

A 1987 recording by the New Sadler's Wells Opera restored most of the surviving material from the first-night version, including "For thirty-five years I've been sober and wary", as well as extra music from the ghost scene that Gilbert and Sullivan deleted during rehearsals. The recording and the production were based on a pre-publication version of the 2000 Oxford University Press edition, in which the music for these passages were published for the first time.

[edit] Revisions in the 1920s

Ruddigore was not revived professionally during the authors' lifetimes. When it received its first professional revival in December 1920 in Glasgow – and then in London, in October 1921 – the D'Oyly Carte company made a number of changes. It is impossible precisely to allocate responsibility for the changes, or to say precisely when they occurred. Two recordings from the period, in 1924 and 1931, do not agree on a musical text, which suggests that the changes were not made all at once. In the Oxford University Press edition, editor David Russell Hulme attributes the changes to Geoffrey Toye, Harry Norris, and Malcolm Sargent, but he is unable to say for sure which conductor was responsible for each change, except that Geoffrey Toye undoubtedly composed the new overture.

There were various changes to the orchestration and minor changes to several numbers, including cuts in the Act I finale. The most conspicuous changes that became traditional were as follows:

  • Geoffrey Toye, the D'Oyly Carte musical director for the first London revival, supplied a new overture.
  • The playoff to Dame Hannah's Act I aria "Sir Rupert Murgatroyd" (No. 2) was shortened.
  • Robin's Act I patter song "My boy, you may take it from me" (No. 7) has a shortened introduction, and repeats with Richard were deleted.
  • Richard and Rose's Act I duet "The battle's roar is over" (No. 8) was cut.
  • Some cuts were made within the Act I finale (No. 15) to shorten transitions between sections.
  • Robin's Act II recitative and patter song "Away, remorse" ... "Henceforth all the crimes" (No. 21a) was cut.
  • The "Melodrame" (No. 24) was cut.
  • The Act II finale was replaced. The original finale had consisted of "When a man has been a naughty baronet," plus a modified reprise of "Oh, happy the lily" in 4/4 time. The replacement was a straight reprise of "Oh, happy the lily" in the form it had taken in the Act I finale, in 9/8 time.

The four D'Oyly Carte Opera Company recordings (1924, 1931, 1950, 1962) agree substantially with the 1920s cuts and alterations, although they disagree in some details. None of the four recordings include Robin's Act II recitative and patter song.

The standard Chappell vocal score was revised in the late 1920s to reflect this new tradition, including the Toye overture, the deletion of Robin's Act II song, the revised finale, and numerous other changes. However, the Melodrame and "The battle's roar is over" continued to be printed. The G. Schirmer vocal score published in America agreed with the revised Chappell score, except that it also included Robin's Act II recitative and patter song "Henceforth all the crimes" and both versions of the Act II finale.

Until the Oxford University Press edition was published in 2000, the available orchestral parts reflected many of the standard D'Oyly Carte alterations, although the traditionally cut songs were available to those who wanted them. The Oxford edition has led to an increased interest in the opera as Gilbert and Sullivan wrote it, and has also made it easier to restore passages deleted from the opera. Due to the many different editions available and the work's complex textual history, there is no standard performing version of Ruddigore.

[edit] Productions

In contrast to its predecessor, The Mikado, Ruddigore had a comparatively short original run of 288 performances. The provincial tour was very brief, closing by early June 1887. A production in New York with D'Oyly Carte personnel ran for 53 performances. The opera was not revived during Gilbert and Sullivan's lifetimes.

The first revival was in December 1920 in Glasgow, and the first London revival was the following year. The opera was cut and heavily revised, including a new overture and a new second-act finale. The revival was a success, and from that point on, Ruddigore was a permanent fixture in the D'Oyly Carte repertory. It was included in every season until the winter of 1940–41, when the scenery and costumes (along with those of three other operas) were destroyed in enemy action. A new production debuted on November 1, 1948. From then on, it was played in every season through 1976–77, aside from 1962–63 (a season that included a lengthy overseas tour). In the late 1970s, the Company started to play a reduced repertory. Ruddigore was included in the 1976–77 tour, then for five months in 1978–1979; and finally in 1981–82.

In 1987, the New Sadler's Wells Opera revived Ruddigore, playing a new edition of the text that restored many of the passages that prior productions had cut.

The following table shows the history of the D'Oyly Carte productions in Gilbert's lifetime:

Theatre Opening Date Closing Date Perfs. Details
Savoy Theatre January 22, 1887 November 5, 1887 288 First London run.
Fifth Avenue Theatre, New York February 21, 1887 April 9, 1887 53 Authorised American production.

[edit] Historical casting

The following tables show the casts of the principal original productions and D'Oyly Carte Opera Company touring repertory at various times through to the company's 1982 closure:

Role Savoy Theatre
1887		 Fifth Avenue
1887		 D'Oyly Carte
1920 Tour		 D'Oyly Carte
1930 Tour		 D'Oyly Carte
1939 Tour
Robin Oakapple George Grossmith George Thorne Henry Lytton Henry Lytton Martyn Green
Richard Dauntless Durward Lely Courtice Pounds Derek Oldham Charles Goulding John Dean
Sir Despard Rutland Barrington Fred Billington Leo Sheffield Sydney Granville Sydney Granville
Old Adam Rudolph Lewis Leo Kloss Douglas Kirke Joseph Griffin L. Radley Flynn
Sir Roderic Richard Temple F. Federici Darrell Fancourt Darrell Fancourt Darrell Fancourt
Rose Maybud Leonora Braham Geraldine Ulmar Gladys Sinclair Sylvia Cecil Margery Abbott
Mad Margaret Jessie Bond Kate Forster Catherine Ferguson Nellie Briercliffe Marjorie Eyre
Dame Hannah Rosina Brandram Elsie Cameron Bertha Lewis Bertha Lewis Evelyn Gardiner
Zorah Josephine Findlay Aida Jenoure Marguerite Kynaston Sybil Gordon Marjorie Flinn
Ruth Miss Lindsay Miss Murray Mary Athol Murielle Barron Maysie Dean
Role D'Oyly Carte
1948 Tour		 D'Oyly Carte
1958 Tour		 D'Oyly Carte
1966 Tour		 D'Oyly Carte
1975 Tour		 D'Oyly Carte
1982 Tour
Robin Oakapple Martyn Green Peter Pratt John Reed John Reed Peter Lyon
Richard Dauntless Leonard Osborn Leonard Osborn David Palmer Meston Reid Meston Reid
Sir Despard Richard Watson Kenneth Sandford Kenneth Sandford Kenneth Sandford Kenneth Sandford
Old Adam L. Radley Flynn John Banks George Cook Jon Ellison Michael Buchan
Sir Roderic Darrell Fancourt Donald Adams Donald Adams John Ayldon John Ayldon
Rose Maybud Margaret Mitchell Jean Barrington Ann Hood Julia Goss Jill Washington
Mad Margaret Pauline Howard Joyce Wright Peggy Ann Jones Judi Merri Lorraine Daniels
Dame Hannah Ella Halman Ann Drummond-Grant Christene Palmer Lyndsie Holland Patricia Leonard
Zorah Muriel Harding Mary Sansom Jennifer Marks Anne Egglestone Jane Stanford
Ruth Joyce Wright Beryl Dixon Pauline Wales Marjorie Williams Helene Witcombe

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Article claming that Murgatroyd family of East Riddlesden Hall is basis for Ruddigore's Murgatroyds. See also this.
  2. ^ While eight ghosts are named in the Dramatis Personæ, only Sir Roderic actually is given a specific part in the libretto. In the final version of the libretto, there are eight brief lines of dialogue assigned to "1st Ghost" through "4th Ghost," with each numbered ghost speaking twice. A Bishop is given a small amount of additional business in the stage directions. According to the Oxford University Press edition (David Russell Hulme, ed., 2000), Sir Rupert was assigned two of the short lines of dialogue; all of the other named chorus ghosts (Sir Jasper through Sir Mervyn) were assigned one line apiece.
  3. ^ As Ruddigore exists in several versions, the numbering of movements in published vocal scores may differ from the numbering presented here.
  4. ^ The original song was replaced about a week into the original run. For the history of this number, see Versions.
  5. ^ This is the original finale. See Versions.
  6. ^ A copy of the libretto including material cut before the first night and during the initial run is availablePDF at The Gilbert and Sullivan Archive.

[edit] References

  • Hulme, David Russell, ed. (2000). Ruddigore. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
  • Baily, Leslie (1952). The Gilbert & Sullivan Book. London: Cassell & Company Ltd.
  • Cellier, François, Cunningham Bridgeman (1914). Gilbert, Sullivan, and D'Oyly Carte. London: Sir Isaac Pitman & Sons.

[edit] Adaptations

[edit] External links

Gilbert and Sullivan
The Triumvirate:
W. S. Gilbert | Arthur Sullivan | Richard D'Oyly Carte
The Gilbert and Sullivan Operas:
Thespis • Trial by Jury • The Sorcerer • H.M.S. Pinafore • The Pirates of Penzance • Patience • Iolanthe • Princess Ida
The Mikado • Ruddigore • The Yeomen of the Guard • The Gondoliers • Utopia, Limited • The Grand Duke
Other Works:
Other Works by W. S. Gilbert • Other Operas by Arthur Sullivan • Other Music by Arthur Sullivan
People:
People associated with Gilbert and Sullivan • Gilbert and Sullivan performers
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