Ruddigore

The Gilbert and Sullivan Players last night performed Ruddigore as it should have been and more so--turning the production into an amusing and delightful farce.

The story centers around an ancient curse on the Barons of Ruddigore which compels them to commit a crime a day. The curse, together with a triple love story, fickle people always verging upon marriage, and the weird Ruddigores, keeps the action moving.

Although the cast made a few first night slips, nobody seemed to mind. While Babs Loomis as Mad Margaret and John Holcenberg as Sir Roderick added a convincing supernatural touch to the whole affair, Elizabeth Petersen, Bruce Macdonald, and Robert Cortright added very solid singing performances.

Mij Gohr, who was responsible for direction, choreography, sets, and costumes, handled her job with finesse. Poor Macdonald was meek and shy, as he should have been, while Cortright made a most dauntless limey sailor. At times the latter was slightly unconvincing, but his singing and a fine first act dance made up for any acting deficiency. Miss Petersen never could make up her mind what man she should marry and Loomis was mad as a hatter. Victor Altschul, Chester Hartman, and Alison Keith all added convincing Gilbert and Sullivan acting techniques to the production. Musical arrangements by pianist Richard Friedberg were superb.

As an example of farcical comedy, Ruddigore offers wonderful opportunities. Mij Gohr and her cast recognized what had to be done, and turned the Gilbert and Sullivan opera into one of the finest shows of its type to hit Cambridge in a long time.