Word: murgatroyd
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Dates: during 1960-1969
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...essence of the play; for they parody the mechanics of melodrama while they suggest often-embarrassing affinities between a figure's old pose and his new one. Of the male leads only Stuart Rubinow displays the emotional range necessary to do justice to the hectic script. His Sir Despard Murgatroyd is first exuberantly wicked as the bad baronet who pays for his sins by contributing to the Church. Several abrupt turns of the plot later and on the right side of the law, he is a flawlessly pompous rate-payer who has spared himself the need to repent his sins...
...complicated plot revolves around those old comic motifs, dissipation, insanity and betrayal. There are also ghosts. In the central role of Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd, who disguises himself as a simple farmer to escape the curse on his family, tenor Jan Ewing gave an inspired performance. It may be that his humor lies a good deal in the direction of mugging, but it is muggery of a very high order indeed. As Dick Dauntless, his nautical foster brother, Peter Larson overcame a vague singing voice by the force of his agile personality. His first act hornpipe was a show stopper...
...real Ruddigore, only in disguise, you know). And Mr. A. Thompson, who plays Oakapple's foster brother, Richard Dauntless, makes the most of one of Gilbert's few comic lyric tenor roles, and achieves a creditable hornpipe. So too, does Mr. Edward Schmookler, the villainous Sir Despard Murgatroyd (Oak apple's real brother, if you get what I mean). Schmookler is got up to resemble Mr. Hyde, and he rubs his hands, rolls his eyes, and flashes his tooth to great effect. Despard's intended, Mad Margaret, also needs to be mentioned: as sung by Miss Tammy Miller, this wacky...