EUSOG: The Sorcerer

The Sorcerer is one of Gilbert & Sullivan’s lesser known comic operas – an early success for the duo, in which their staple themes of class divisions and politics were only beginning to be explored.

The story takes place in the heart of Somerset as villagers gather to celebrate the marriage of two young aristocrats. The groom Alexis confesses to his bride Aline that he wishes to see love blossom regardless of rank or age. To realise this dream he invites a Sorcerer to create a love potion and distribute it to the villagers and his family, so that they will fall in love with the first person they see. This of course goes awry, but is soon rectified, unlike the problems with the performance.

Despite their strong voices; there is no chemistry between the leads (Meldrum and Kim), their words and acting feeling stilted and forced. A similar lack of energy can also be found in the chorus, who appear ill co-ordinated and insincere. At times, the large numbers of people singing at once make it very difficult to discern the words being sung.

This said, the minor characters interact much better with each other, and individually they radiate warmth. The Sorcerer himself (Hamuish Colville) is a striking and moody presence in the latter half of the show, injecting some energy and excitement, especially with the special effects. Although cast into Hell in the final act, he never comes across as particularly evil; more like a power-crazed travelling salesman.

The fundamental weakness of the play is that it lacks the intelligence and depth of Guilbert & Sullivan’s later operas: Alexis’ idealistic talk of a world without social boundaries comes out as the naïve musings of a spoilt little lord, paving the way for light (and predictable) entertainment. The haste of the love affairs and reversals of fortune give the audience little time to appreciate the bizarre nature of the situation. The flaws in the original material would have been less noticeable if the performance hadn’t been so patchy.

EUSOG have a powerful array of vocals at their disposal. It's just a shame that they were invested in as disappointing a performance as this.