United Kingdom Buxton International Gilbert & Sullivan Festival [2] – Ruddigore: Soloists and Chorus of Peak Opera, National Festival Orchestra / Dave Anstice-Pim (conductor). Buxton Opera House, Derbyshire 6.8.2026. (RW)
Peak Opera regularly performs at the Festival with enjoyable productions each year. They put their shows together with only 10 days’ rehearsal yet they mount a production like the one this year with a quality close to that of a professional production and for only one night. The orchestra was good under Dave Anstice-Pim’s direction and allowed the voices to come across without difficulty.
This traditional version of Ruddigore was impressive. For me, Richard Dauntless (Matthew Sotillo-Cooke) and Mad Margaret (Sophia Anstice) stole the show – Richard with his fine voice, clear diction and superb hornpipe dancing, and Margaret with her fine rendition of ‘To a garden full of posies’ and her brilliant eccentricity in Act II’s ‘Basingstoke’ scene.
Perhaps it is unfair to single out two of the principals as all soloists and chorus were first-class. The pace of delivery was good and the action held the audience’s attention. The opening was very colourful with the bevy of bridesmaids nicely complementing the backdrop of a pretty village setting of Rederring. Gilbert no doubt set Rederring in Cornwall because of its reputation for stories about the superstitious Cornish since this connection could aid his plot.
The difficult transition of portraits to ghosts in the Picture Gallery worked well. Even the Savoy Theatre premiere in 1887 had a hiccup in the transition scene that infuriated Gilbert! (Any spill light would of course ruin the effect.) It is surprising how fitting Gilbert’s words still are 139 years later. When the ghosts inquire about Sir Ruthven’s bad deeds (which a curse has compelled him to do) he mentions making a false Income Tax Return. The ghosts reply that everyone does that!
I liked Ian Henderson’s decision to reinstate the three numbers cut from the D’Oyly Carte Company’s production since the revival of Ruddigore in 1921 — ‘The battle’s roar is over’, ‘For thirty five years I’ve been sober and wary’, and the lively original Basingstoke finale. The excellent choreography and stage groupings looked well, and all actions and stage activity were well rehearsed. This was a performance for Peak Opera to be proud of.
Raymond Walker
Featured Image: ‘The Dead of the night’s High Noon’ © Charles Smith
Production:
Director – Ian Henderson
Set design – Paul Lazell
Lighting – Peter Blackmore
Costumes – The Boyz
Choreography – Frances and Sophia Eriksson
Cast:
Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd – Philip W Errington
Richard Dauntless – Matthew Sotillo-Cooke
Sir Despard Murgatroyd – Liam Geoghegan
Old Adam Goodheart – Alexander Baltatzis
Rose Maybud – Helen Clutterbuck
Mad Margaret – Laura Jamie Anstice
Dame Hannah – Helena Culliney
Zorah – Lie Jennings
Ruth – Sophia Eriksson
Sir Roderic Murgatroyd – Simon Wilson