Ruddigore; or, The Witch's Curse
Friday, March 1 at 7:30 PM
Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 PM
Sunday, March 3 at 2 PM
Mandel Hall, 1131 E. 57th St.
Presented by the Department of Music and The Gilbert and Sullivan Opera Company.
Equal parts spectacle and satire, Ruddigore; or, The Witch’s Curse features Gilbert and Sullivan's topsy-turvy take on classic British melodrama: kindhearted villains, damsels in distress who would rather be kidnapped than rescued, and a comical family secret. The operetta features the memorable "Chorus of Ancestors," in which a nobleman must face his family's past — literally — as his predecessors' portraits come alive and argue with him.
GSOC’s 2024 production of Ruddigore promises to delight audience members of all experience levels—from Savoyard aficionados to light opera novices—and director Shane Valenzi promises the show “will be a true testament to the enduring power and beauty of Gilbert & Sullivan for generations to come.”
Shane Valenzi, Stage Director
Matthew Sheppard, Music Director
Tickets: $25-50 general, $10 students (with student ID) and children.
Ticket information and tips for ordering online
About The Gilbert & Sullivan Opera Company, Inc.
The Company’s association with the Hyde Park community and The University of Chicago goes back to its beginning in 1960, and subsequent incorporation in 1964. In 1962 it began a 21-year relationship with the Parents’ Association of The University of Chicago Laboratory School. Proceeds from the shows benefited the Lab School’s Adventurers in the Arts Program. Since 1983 the University’s Department of Music has sponsored the Company’s productions, with net proceeds helping to fund the Department’s Performance Programs. In 1991 the University Chamber Orchestra began playing for the performances.
Over its 60 years, the Company has performed every work in the Gilbert and Sullivan canon. The Company has a policy of alternating the signature operas with the obscure, taking into consideration anniversary years and programming by other local companies. H.M.S. Pinafore has been produced eight times. Iolanthe, The Mikado, The Gondoliers, and The Yeomen of the Guard have been produced seven times each. The Pirates of Penzance and Ruddigore, six times each; Princess Ida and Patience, four times; The Sorcerer, three times; Trial By Jury, twice; and Utopia, Limited and The Grand Duke, once each. In 2019, the Company produced Merrie England, by Edward German and Basil Hood, the designated successors of Gilbert and Sullivan.