The Pittsburgh Savoyards open their 82nd season this October with Gilbert and Sullivan’s spookiest operetta, Ruddigore. Performances will be held October 11-13 and 17-20, 2019 at the Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall in Carnegie, PA. (Directions and parking)
All performances are at 8pm, except for the Sunday matinees which are at 2:30pm.
Join us on opening night (October 11), and you’ll also be invited to join us for a special post-performance reception!
A satirical take on the Victorian Melodrama genre, Ruddigore, or the Witch’s Curse, has a zany plot with it all—ghosts, witches, curses, disguises, and even a wicked villain who tries to make off with the fair maiden. All of the Baronets of the locale of Ruddigore are under a terrible curse enacted by a witch long ago—each of the successive Baronets must commit some kind of a crime every single day, or else they will die in terrible agony. Robin Oakapple has been living as a farmer for years, working up the courage to ask the beautiful village maiden Rose Maybud for her hand, but he is hiding a secret: he is actually Sir Ruthven, the Baronet of Ruddigore, and has been hiding in disguise while his younger brother Despard assumed the title—and the curse. Betrayed by his foster-brother Richard, Robin is discovered and must take on the responsibility of committing a crime every day in order to appease the curse—and the ghosts of all his ancestors past, who are none too happy with his attempt to shirk his title. Robin must somehow find a way to lead the honest life he loves… but how?
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Music Director – Guy Russo
Stage Director – Michael McFaden
Production Manager – Lynette Garlan
Production Stage Manager – Andrea Lisiak
Assistant Stage Manager – Megan Hixon
Technical Director – Robert Hockenberry
Lighting Designer – Garth Schafer
Costumier – Ellen Rosen
| Role | Performer |
|---|---|
| Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd Disguised as Robin Oakapple, a Young Farmer | Michael Brawdy |
| Richard Dauntless His Foster-Brother – A Man-o'-war's-man | Russell Henry Hulbert |
| Sir Despard Murgatroyd of Ruddigore, A Wicked Baronet | Corey Nile Wingard |
| Rose Maybud A Village Maiden | Sarah Marie Nadler (Oct. 12, 18, 20) Jenna Ziccardi (Oct. 11, 13, 17, 19) |
| Mad Margaret | Meghan M. Hilker (Oct. 11, 13, 17, 19) Rachelmae Pulliam (Oct. 12, 18, 20) |
| Dame Hannah Rose's Aunt | Sally Denmead |
| Sir Roderic Murgatroyd The Twenty-first Baronet Ruddigore | Richard Currie (Oct. 12, 18, 20) Bob Herold (Oct. 11, 13, 17, 19) |
| Old Adam Goodheart Robin's Faithful Servant | Michael Greenstein (Oct. 11, 13, 17, 19) Jack Mostow (Oct. 12, 18, 20) |
| Zorah Professional Bridesmaid | Mia Bonnewell |
| Ruth Professional Bridesmaid | Lindsay Ferreira |
| Ballet Mistress | Leslie Clark |
| Petulant Bridesmaid | Kat Bowman |
| Professional Bridesmaids | Lisa Dunlap Mia Gallo Elizabeth Partee |
| Chorus of "Bucks and Blades"and Ancestors | Christopher Carter Don Gudenburr Phil Hayes Don Neuhaus Gerald Neuhaus Jordan Speranzo Eric Starbuck Craig W. Yankes |
| Chorus of Villagers | Catherine Grace Tricia Hixon Megan Kelly Heidi Pilewski Carolee Shearer Marichristine M. Storch Kira Varela Tanya Veverka |
Reviews for Ruddigore
“…instead of dark and shadowy, it’s all spoof and satire and jolly good fun…feel free to take along the kiddies…it’s the sort of fun that’s contagious and leaves you feeling light-hearted and emotionally buoyant.”
– David Zuchowski, Pittsburgh Owl Scribe