by Jonathan Warman

Unlike The Mikado, a Gilbert and Sullivan operetta which has long been a favorite of mine — and which I reviewed last week — I have never seen that team’s 1887 operetta Ruddigore, or The Witch's Curse. The New York Gilbert and Sullivan Players have mounted an entirely new production of this lesser-known show, with largely positive results.

The designs for this production were inspired by the illustrations of the late Edward Gorey, most famous these days for designing the animated opening credits for PBS’s Mystery. You can see the Gorey influence most strongly in the gothic set for the second act, but it’s generally so muted that I wouldn’t have noticed it, if it hadn’t been pointed out to me.

I can easily see, however, how directors Albert Bergeret and David Auxier would have made a connection between Ruddigore and Gorey’s dark whimsy. The Murgatroyd family, Baronets of Ruddigore Castle, was apparently cursed in ancient times by a witch: the head of the family must commit a crime of some sort each day, or face an agonizing death. Ruthven, the most recent Baronet, has escaped this fate by hiding in a fishing village under an assumed name. When Ruthven’s true identity is revealed, he is forced to assume his birthright, perhaps losing the hand of his ladylove in the process.

It’s all the clever, high silliness one expects from G&S. Perhaps because this is a new production, and not a remounting like their Mikado, the ensemble comes closer to the kind of fizzy, tizzy madness that makes this kind of stuff really work. In particular David Macaluso, who was a workmanlike Ko-Ko in The Mikado, really lets loose as Ruthven, finding all kinds of bright comic colors in this shy, reluctant nobleman. I could have done with a heavier Gorey touch, and a bigger dose of insanity overall, but all in all this is a pretty good way to meet Ruddigore.

For tickets, click here.

For more reviews and interviews by Jonathan Warman, see dramaqueennyc.com.