Gilbert & Sullivan's
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CastRobin Oakapple aka Sir. Ruthven Murgatroyd - Harv Lester
Richard Dauntless - Peter Oliver-Krueger Sir Despard Murgatroyd - Robby Thomson Old Adam Goodheart - David Dubov Sir Roderic - Tom Goode Rose Maybud - Laura Wehrmeyer Mad Margaret - Pamela Butler Dame Hannah - Patricia George-Houser Zorah - Wanda Flinn Ruth - Arthuretta Martin Chorus - Felicity Ann Brown, Ed Byrdy, Rick DuPuy, Ashley Edmiston, David Flinn, Tara Hockensmith, Rand Huntzinger, Lyle Jaffe, Ralph Johnson, Marianna Martindale, Carlton Maryott, Jane Maryott, Don Mitchell, Sherry Mitchell, Jim Noone, Julie Repeta, Lynn Ritland, Maureen Roult, Candace Smith, Nancy Shneiderman, Julie Stevens, Clyde Wright OrchestraViolin 1 - Steve Natrella (CM), Bonnie Barrows, Carolyn Larson, Audrey Maxwell
Violin 2 - Martin Brown, Erin Grace, Peter Mignerey, Edwin Schneider Viola - Amanda Laudwein, Victor Ontiveros Cello - Andrew Schneider, Laurie Brown, Sheryl Friedlander Bass - Pete Gallanis, Alice Mignerey Flute - Jackie Miller, Louise Hill Oboe - Lori Guess Clarinet - Laura Langbein, Laura Bornhoeft, Jim Bensinger Bassoon - Robin Gelman Horn - James Kocsis, Kathleen Bartolomeo Trumpet - Bernie Rappaport, Curt Anstine Trombone - Steve Ward, Alan Potter Percussion - George Huttlin |
Production StaffProducer - Denise Young
Choreographer - Alicia Oliver-Krueger Assistant Music Director - Jenny Craley Bland Assistant Choreographer - Felicity Ann Brown Stage Manager - Michael Galizia Assistant Stage Manager - Tony Dwyer Lighting Designer - Andrew Griffin Set Designer - Andrew Berry Scenic Artist - Becky Meushaw Costume Designer - Denise Young Costume Construction - Denise Young, Andrea Schewe, Donna Jaffe, Sherry Mitchell, Maureen Roult, Gaye Freese Master Carpenters - William Kolodrubetz, Ed Byrdy, James Douglass Set Construction - Tony Dwyer Rehearsal Pianists - Jenifer Craley Bland, Judy Gardner, Deborah Jacobson Olio Musical Preparation - Alicia Oliver-Krueger, Jenny Bland Olio Accompanist - Jenny Bland Program - Denise Young Graphic Design - John Boulanger Publicity - Sandy Rovner Properties - Tara Hockensmith Educational Outreach programs - Debbie Niezgoda & Kiersten Whitehead Technical Director (Rockville Civic Center) - Kim Haug Theater Supervisor - Joseph Palamara House Management - Merle Haber Set Storage - Rockville Civic Center |
Director's Note
Gilbert and Sullivan wrote Ruddigore to parody the stock melodrama popular in the Victorian era. All of the usual suspects are represented: the hero and heroine; the heroine's maiden aunt and the hero's faithful retainer; the villain in black; the patriotic British tar; the wild, mad girl. However, Ruddigore neatly skewers Victorian melodrama's simplistic black-and-white morality. Here, characters are "good" or "bad" not due to personal conviction, but because they've been told to act a certain way. They strive to fill the roles others have laid out for them. Rose earnestly plays the good girl, slavishly following the rules of etiquette to such an extreme that she unthinkingly courts disaster. Despard and Margaret play out the roles of "villain" and "abandoned woman," then try to repress their passionate natures to fit into society. Robin initially tries to escape the role set down for him. When forced to comply, he tries to be a good villain and fails comically. Ruddigore demonstrates the limitations of melodrama's rigid code, as well as the inherent contradictions and false piety spawned by melodrama's facile morality. Richard vows to follow the dictates of his heart--a seemingly heroic sentiment that lets him do whatever he wants without personal responsibility. Robin finally triumphs only when he can manipulate the very rules of morality that bind him to find a contradiction favoring his desires.
Yet even as Ruddigore parodies melodrama, it gives us a sincere love story and a character or two who truly embody their melodramatic archetypes. In Dame Hannah, we have not just the heroine's maiden aunt, but also a faded heroine of an earlier generation. In Sir Roderic, both forbidding ancestor and yesteryear's young heroic villain. While Rose, Robin, Despard and Richard play at their roles, Hannah and Roderic truly filled those roles in their day: Hannah the virtuous young maid who has since made peace with her choices, and Roderic the hero who took up the villain's mantle. In their faded love, we see the genuine article to which their younger counterparts aspire, and the pure ideals and sweet sentimentality that inspired Victorian melodrama.
Yet even as Ruddigore parodies melodrama, it gives us a sincere love story and a character or two who truly embody their melodramatic archetypes. In Dame Hannah, we have not just the heroine's maiden aunt, but also a faded heroine of an earlier generation. In Sir Roderic, both forbidding ancestor and yesteryear's young heroic villain. While Rose, Robin, Despard and Richard play at their roles, Hannah and Roderic truly filled those roles in their day: Hannah the virtuous young maid who has since made peace with her choices, and Roderic the hero who took up the villain's mantle. In their faded love, we see the genuine article to which their younger counterparts aspire, and the pure ideals and sweet sentimentality that inspired Victorian melodrama.
