The Sorcerer by Gilbert and Sullivan

This charming piece is an early work by Gilbert and Sullivan, which premiered in 1877. A tale of English village folk, an altruistic hero, madly in love, and wishing all the village to share in this joy, a love potion that goes disastrously wrong, and of course a Happy Ending! The Sorcerer, provider of the potion, is a gem of a part, one of Gilbert’s finest and funniest creations.

The cover design of the programme was very dramatic and eye-catching, with a splendid green teapot, which reappeared on the inside pages. A useful synopsis was given, plus an appeal for new members to join this obviously thriving society.

The set was a thing of beauty, depicting the baronet’s fine garden, complete with urns. A raised platform at the rear was useful. A screen and a chair were used for indoor scenes. Flowery hoops for the maidens’ dance stay in my mind. As do a cauldron, phials containing fluorescent coloured suspicious looking liquids, and of course the teapot! Lighting and sound effects were used to great effect as the spell was conjured up and mixed.

The costumes were splendid. Slick red uniforms for Sir Marmaduke and Alexis, top hats and frockcoats for the valued guests. Exceedingly pretty dresses and headdresses for the village maidens. Glamorous gowns for Lady Sangazure and her daughter Aline. Black cloaks of invisibility for the Sorcerer and his assistant were often in evidence. The Sorcerer himself was resplendent in his voluminous white gown, and wizard’s hat, complete with appliqued moons and stars. Exciting makeup for him added to his mystique. Oh, and I mustn’t forget his amazing red and white shoes, that dazzled!

David Mortimer provided the excellent piano accompaniment, which was unobtrusive, yet dramatic when needed. He and the cast were exceedingly ably directed by Roger Wilman, the balance of sound was perfect. The chorus excelled themselves, in fine voice throughout. The soloists too were finely balanced in the ensemble items and gave us great joy. Clarity of diction was paramount during the whole production.

The plot builds up slowly, but with the usual G and S skill of leading you to anticipate the many pitfalls to come, which you know will be later resolved, as the many loose ends are happily tied up. So, on the arrival of the lovelorn 19 year old Constance (sweetly played by Tessa Lawn), enamoured of the ‘elderly’ vicar Dr Daly, and comforted by her ‘very comely’ widowed mother Mrs Partlett (Lynda Barrett-Mercer), one can foresee two further weddings by the final curtain, as well as the one central to the action between the noble Alexis and the wealthy and lovely Aline.

The rather sad Dr Daly, who felt that time had passed him by, was played and sung marvellously well by Jacob Elsey, with a particularly fine rendition of the ballad ‘Time was, when love and I were well acquainted’.

Sir Marmaduke (Peter Grove) and Lady Sangazure (Gill Eve) were wonderful as they played the couple who had ached for each other in younger years, married elsewhere, but still hoped that now, as widowed folk, the flame would rekindle. All outward politeness and internal hope and passion, so well portrayed.

Our dashing young hero, Alexis, commanded the stage, both his stunning tenor voice and his acting skills were splendid. A fantastic performance from Jacob Taylor. He was partnered well in these by Eleanor Hegarty, playing the beautiful Aline. They really seemed to delight in each other. Aline’s fury and hurt were palpable as Alexis temporarily rejected her.

Finally, nearly at the end of Act 1, the Sorcerer appeared in Ploverleigh. Gilbert and Sullivan had built up the tension to this moment, and he was certainly worth the wait! His patter song ‘My name is John Wellington Wells’ was perfectly performed by Stephen Taylor – one could hear every word, his facial expressions were super, and his dramatic Incantation complete with descending, gruesome heads at the appropriate moments was a joy to behold.

I need also to mention choreography (Gill Eve) and stage management (Dee Bowdery). This was a small stage, and a large cast of 26. So, for example, for the welcoming of Aline ‘With heart and voice’, the chorus was on stage, if I remember correctly, and some village maidens bearing hoops of flowers danced in front of the stage. Thus good use was made of part of the auditorium space, on various other occasions too. In the banquet scene, after the love potion had been administered, the whole cast skilfully whirled about the stage like dervishes, without anybody seeming to collide with anybody else. Brilliant!

This whole production was a delight from start to finish, with its strong cast, who all acted and sang so well.  Lynda Barrett-Mercer deserves congratulation for her fine direction, and Roger Wilman’s superb musical direction filled that hall with such marvellous sound.

I was in seventh heaven during the quintet ‘I rejoice that it’s all decided’. It has been a long wait to experience such beautiful singing. I think we all experienced a very joyful evening.

 

© NODA CIO. All rights reserved.