The Washington times., 1920-06-08
NATIONAL.
Aborn Opera Cs.
In "Ruddigore."

Aborn Opera Cs.
In "Ruddisore."
or THE Witches Curse" a super
natural opera In two acts. by w. T.
Gilbert and Arthur sullivan, original
~ produced In lss7. and given its nrst
local presentation at the National
Thester last night.
Reflecting upon the manifold mer-
Its OF this truly delightful opera. one
can come only TO the conclusion that
some one must have blundered badly
In the past. else Washington would
long ago have been permitted TO en-
Joy the absurdities of its libretto and
lifting melodies OF It's score.
Like all those dear old operas such
as were made famous by such organ
izstions as The Bostonisns. "Ruddi-
gore" has 4 we'll denned plot. Years
before. we are told. Sir Rupert Mur-
gstroyd' baronet OF Ruddigore Castle.
receives the curse Of an old hag
whom he burns at the stake in which
IL is decreed that he and all his line
for centuries to come shall commit q
crime daily. otherwise he shall die
In great torture. Sir Despard MUIR
gatroyd. the incumbent Mt the open
Ing OF the play. is living quite up to
the traditions )f his pred ,cexsors and
for his extreme cruelty is feared and
hated by the villagers.
But IL develops that his older
brother, Ruthven, supposed to have
died ten years before, is living in dis
guise In the village to escape the
mandate Of the curse, but upon dis
c0very Is forced to resume his office.
beng OF naturally tender -heartc,:
bent. he attempts evasion by puch
crimes" as sending In false income
tax returns. whereup the ghosts OF his
ancestors descend from their frames
In the art gallery and put him to tor
ture. declaring that n false income
tax return Is not a crime-cvery one
is supposed to make them. And SO
the story goes In delightful fashion
until the end. when the curse Is re-
moved by a sudden turn of affairs.
And every few moments the char
scters relate their woes in songs
srch songs as you never heard be-
fore. And just as cf,en. the merry
Villagers come trooping into help out
in the chorus with ,vsty voices. II
there was any doubt taat the autho,
OF Bah Ballads" wrote the play, his
inimitable art OF purveying delicious
nonsense is found In the songs.
And the hardest task OF al ~ to
attempt to pick out one character
that stood out above another, for
every one OF the principals shine out
with equal effect. There's dear old
Phil Branson cast as a love-sick
young farmer-imagine!-a Forrest
Hun as the bloodthirsty baronet
who kidnaps a child in the morning
and atones for his crime by found
ing an orphan asylum in the after
moo! Fritz Won Busing. she OF the
voice divine. appears in the role of
Mad Margaret. one OF the cleverest
burlesQues on Ophelia ever evolved.
John X. Phillips. as Richard Daunt-
less. a man-o'-wars-man; Maude Gray.
as Rose Maybud. a village maiden of
uncertain affections: Eva Quintard,
as Dame Hannah, and Harold Briggs,
as a faithful old servitor, are all de-
lightful.
Most OF the big song numbers come
in the second act, with, the chorus OF
the ghosts, the duet between Dame
Hannah and Sir Roderic Murgatroyd
Arthur CunninGham) and the patter
song by Miss Won .Busing and Messers
Hun and Branson competing for top
honors.
II the capacity Of the New National
Is not taxed all week. just as II was
last night by a highly appreciative
and enthusiastic audiences, the
Messrs. Aborn will have to place the
blame on the Republican convention
or some other calamity.