Replete ‘Ruddygore’

“Ruddygore” at the Knightsbridge Theatre’s Los Angeles space (formerly home of the Colony Studio Theatre) is a rousing if uneven treatment loosely based on Gilbert & Sullivan’s 1887 operetta “Ruddigore” (which was originally spelled with the ‘y’). For Gilbert & Sullivan enthusiasts, it’s a welcome opportunity to see a rarely produced work from the pair’s middle period. But even those who may find 2 1/2 hours of Victorian musical satire a slow go will be impressed by the sheer enterprise of Gabrielle de Cuir’s staging, an exercise in industry if not always craft.

De Cuir has reset the action in a 1939 sound stage, where a low-budget shoot of “Ruddigore” is in progress. The studio is about to go bankrupt, the film’s director has just dropped dead, and the harried projectionist (Lewis Hauser) is trying to get the last scenes in the can so that he can save the studio.

The convoluted premise of this “film” revolves around a family curse and a fickle young heroine (Rachel Mabey). By ancient dictate, each Baron of Ruddigore must commit a crime each day or perish horribly. Presumed dead, the true baron, Sir Ruthven Murgatroyd (Don Schlossman) has been in hiding, leaving his younger brother Despard (Roald A. Martinsen ) to assume the title--and the curse. On his wedding day, when the subterfuge is revealed, Sir Ruthven must face the music--not to mention a host of ghostly ancestors, transformed here into movie monsters in a surreal high point of De Cuir’s staging.

If only De Cuir had been as logistically cunning in her adaptation as she is in her direction. Despite a clever premise, her free adaptation is not quite free enough. Most important, De Cuir should have been a bit freer with editing the original down to a more manageable size and running time. And the tongue-in-cheek anachronisms, albeit intentional, are nonetheless confusing. (A reference to “Star Wars” is particularly baffling.)

These shortcomings aside, De Cuir and choreographer Victoria Miller manage amazingly full-blown production numbers, executed to expert but somewhat thin accompaniment of a single keyboardist (valiant Bill Newlin). Jon Fontenot’s special-effects makeup is noteworthy, as are several performances among this brisk and capable cast.

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* “Ruddygore,” Knightsbridge Theatre Los Angeles, 1944 Riverside Drive, Los Angeles. Fridays, 8 p.m.; Saturdays, 5 p.m.; Sundays, 2 p.m. No show New Year’s Eve. Ends Jan. 14. $18. (626) 440-0821. Running time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.