The Sorcerer
By W.S. Gilbert and Arthur Sullivan
Performed at Leicester's Little Theatre
Monday 3 March - Saturday 8 March 2003

The Sorcerer was the popular choice for our 51st annual production, combining colour and lively music in an improbable tale of love potions, magicians and spells with unforeseen consequences.  It is the first full-length surviving operetta from the pens of Gilbert & Sullivan and encapsulates Gilbert’s recurring desire to include in his work something supernatural or magical.  One reason for the show’s selection was its length – slightly shorter than most operettas – as we had given a series of Jubilee concerts during the summer and autumn of 2002 and rehearsal time was shorter than normal.

Click here for a synopsis and photographs of the production.

Production team:
Director: CARL JEFFREY
Musical Director: MICK CURTIS
Assistant Musical Director: JUDY DODD

 

SETTING

The rural village of Ploverleigh, England.  Time: 19th century.

SYNOPSIS

ACT 1

The villagers of Ploverleigh have gathered to celebrate the engagement of Alexis, son of the local squire Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre, to Aline, daughter of Lady Annabella Sangazure.  While the rest of the village rejoices, however, one person remains unhappy.  Constance Partlet, daughter of the church’s pew-opener, is in love with the local vicar Dr Daly, but dares not say anything to him.    Mrs Partlet promises her daughter that she will speak to Dr Daly on her daughter’s behalf.  She is however too roundabout in her approach, and before she can get to the point Dr Daly tells her regretfully and with all innocence – in Constance’s hearing - that he has made up his mind to live out his days as a bachelor.  He considers himself far too much of an old fogey to remotely interest any unmarried woman, and wanders off leaving Constance in tears at his failure to notice her interest.

 

Aline and Alexis are welcomed to the village green for the signing of their marriage contract and subsequently reflect by themselves on the nature of “true love”.  Alexis reveals his plan to ensure every person in the village will experience this means of true happiness in life.  He has engaged the services of John Wellington Wells, a “highly respectable” sorcerer, to provide and secretly distribute a patent love philtre throughout the village.  Aline objects to the use of the black arts on unsuspecting villagers, but is obliged to accept Alexis’ moral argument that the desire to make everyone truly happy must justify the means proposed.  Mr Wells summons the dark spirits, badly frightening Alexis and Aline, and casts his spells.  The resultant potion is poured into the vicar’s large teapot before the villagers return for the engagement feast provided by Sir Marmaduke.  The teapot circulates rapidly, distributing the potion to everyone except the three conspirators.  Soon the potion starts to take effect, causing drowsiness and then drugged sleep.

 

ACT 2

Some hours later, the villagers awake and, true to Mr Wells’ promises, instantly fall in love with the first person they see.  Mr Wells explains to Alexis and Aline that he had their parents, Dr Daly and the Notary all taken home “and put to bed respectably” in deference to their status in the village.  However, while the villagers are all happy, the haphazard nature of the potion’s power quickly becomes apparent as Constance arrives with the elderly Notary to declare that she loves him madly, despite him being everything she detests. 

 

Alexis and Aline reflect on the ill-judged nature of some of the new matches, and Alexis insists that Aline drink the potion to ensure her undying love for him.  Aline resists but eventually feels forced to acquiesce to retain Alexis’ own love for her.  Sir Marmaduke and Mrs Partlet are the next couple to be affected by the potion.  While Alexis can ignore Constance’s ill-matched union, he finds it harder to accept that his father intends to marry a mere pew-opener.  Dr Daly remains mournful as he has been unable to find an unattached lady.  Mr Wells, meanwhile, is lamenting the unfortunate effects of his potion when he is sighted by Lady Sangazure, who has also drunk the potion and not found a man.  Instantly she adores Mr Wells, who is only able to divert her insistent attentions by inventing an imaginary fiancée. 

Finally Aline takes the potion, just as Dr Daly returns.  Unable to help themselves they instantly love each other but are interrupted by Alexis, who is outraged that Aline should now love someone other than himself.   Beside himself with anger, he summons the villagers to denounce what he sees as her betrayal.  Dr Daly however points out that it is his own fault for secretly distributing the potion, and asks Mr Wells how the effect may be reversed.  He replies that either Alexis or the Sorcerer himself must die – and the villagers unanimously choose Mr Wells.  His descent to the spirit world breaks the spell and all return to their former loves.

 

CAST

SIR MARMADUKE POINTDEXTRE
(an Elderly Baronet)
ALEXIS (his Son)
DR. DALY (Vicar of Ploverleigh)
THE NOTARY
JOHN WELLINGTON WELLS
 (of J. W. Wells & Co., Family Sorcerers)

LADY SANGAZURE (a Lady of Ancient Lineage)
ALINE (her Daughter, betrothed to Alexis)
MRS. PARTLET (a Pew-Opener)
CONSTANCE (her Daughter)
HERCULES

Ron Smith

Vincenzo Sozzo
Colin Blackler
Brian Moore

David Lovell


Pam Meade
Lesley Heighton
Josie Childs
Alexandra Hopewell
Emily McDonald

VILLAGERS OF PLOVERLEIGH

Rosemary Blackler, Sandra Bloxham, Pauline Brimble, Anne Charleston, Janette Faulkner, Rachel Fortescue, Ethne Goode,
Jo Holroyd, Gill Horton, Christl Hughes, Patricia Johnson, Jane McDonald, Anne Nurse, Helen Rae, Clare Townend.

Richard Blackman, Alan Bullas, Peter Charleston, Philip de Voil, Alan Gale, Keith Goode,
Trevor Harvey, Geoff Orrill, David Robinson, Richard Smithson, Frank Williams.

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director
Musical Director
Assistant Musical Director
Accompanist
Stage Manager
Assisted by
Technical Stage Manager

Carl Jeffrey
Mick Curtis
Judy Dodd
Gill Hawkes
Terry Bolingbroke
Lisa Morrison, Penny Charles, Christine Jaques-Davis
John Hendrie