Word: despard
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...long-winded and strange. The main character, Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, the baronet of Ruddigore, is hiding in a small English village in order to escape a family curse. A misguided witch doomed each successive baronet to commit one crime a day or be killed. Ruthven left his brother, Despard, back at Ruddigore to assume the title of baronet and fall victim to the curse. Meanwhile, having adopted the clever pseudonym "Robin," Ruthven falls in love with the village sweet-heart, the prissy flake Rose Maybud. For the rest of the first act, Ruthven competes with his unlikely foster brother...
...Ruthven assuming the role of evil baronet, is humorous at first; the effect of the spooky forbears of Ruthven stepping out of their portraits is cool for a while. But when the spirits all start convincing Ruthven to be "bad," it just gets inane and silly. The conversion of Despard and Margaret from the morally loose characters of the first act to puritanical ministers of charity in the second is arbitrary and unconvincing. The conclusion of the drama, with the resurrection of Ruthven's suicidal forbear Sir Roderic Murgatroyd, seems a morbid solution to the flighty plot...
Perhaps the most compelling performance was given by Danton Charas Ruthven's evil brother Despard. Before Despard's reformation, Char exudes a snaky, sly, and deliciously sinister stage presence; he retains the unnerving cool of a villain even after be reforms, tantalizing the audience with the hopes Despard might return to his former, dastardly but decidedly more interesting ways...
...Rose's mild-mannered suitor, Short delivers his lines with an endearing relish, and his vain, half-hearted attempts to appear dastardly and evil at Ruddigore Castle are subtly humorous in contrast to the dastardly quality of Despard. Though Short has a pleasant singing voice, he suffers by close comparison to the divine Thompson in their duet in the first...
Overall, the musical numbers are nicely performed: the songs themselves are enjoyable compositions, the blend of voices is smooth and harmonious, and both the orchestra and singers professionally execute intricate numbers. Martin and Short, of course, carry their numbers well. Samantha Graff, playing Despard's love interest, Mad Margaret, also does an amazing job of keeping time with the orchestra as well as articulating the words in the fast-paced "It Really Doesn't Matter...