A fanciful tale revolving around love, magic and society, The Sorcerer tells the story of what happens when an entire village partakes (unknowingly) in drinking tea that has been laced with a love philtre. Upon waking, the drinker falls in love with whomever they first lay eyes on – what ensues is a jumble of ill-advised and accidental matches, much to the dismay of those responsible.

Whilst lesser known than many of its siblings, this G&S work is plentiful in its trademark tongue-twisting songs, with an array of beautiful and comedic tunes.

Rob Bingham as Alexis commanded the stage and delighted the audience with his strong tenor voice. The part allowed for him to clown around and raise laughs, but he also captured the heartfelt innocence of the character, who dreamt up the plan and was left with responsibility of correcting the mistakes as a result.

Lucy Hinkley’s vocals soared around the auditorium, demonstrating her skill at tackling the musical intricacies of G&S. Her portrayal of Aline was sweet and considerate, lending some balance to the outlandish Alexis. Their duet section within the Act 1 Finale (‘Oh true, true love!’) was vocal perfection, also demonstrating strong chemistry from the pair.

Andy Kay’s portrayal of JW Wells was bewitching, combining richly-toned vocals with a performance packed with charisma. His use of pyrotechnics is to be applauded, with everything from a flaming cane to explosions from the palms of his hands all adding to the magic, and delivered with perfect timing – a special mention here must also go to Sam Fisher for his work on the pyros. 

Andy’s interactions and duet with the ever-charming Libby Pike as Lady Sangazure were also particularly memorable for their comedy, the pair drawing laughs a-plenty from the audience as Lady Sangazure pursued the hapless Sorcerer.

Other notable parts of the show included Graham Light as The Notary who gets paired with Constance, played by Anita Davies, with their comic song explaining that she loves him very madly, but he being deaf hears her very badly. The humorous handling of bunting by Constance and Mrs Partlet, played by Maureen Sullivan, also drew sniggers galore, as did John Woodford’s portrayal of Dr Daly when he falls in love with Aline. Paul Stevens’ explanation as Sir Marmaduke of how courting had changed from when he was young brought a lot of laughter from the audience, funnier still when remembering that the show’s libretto was written nearly 150 years ago!

The cast handled the difficult music with some ease, which no doubt was helped along by talented musical director, David Yates – clearly no stranger to Gilbert and Sullivan! Cate Clark, the pianist, was exemplary and the sound level of music versus singing was spot on. The trio sections between Rob, Lucy and Andy were especially delightful – the blend of their voices was superb. ‘In Days Gone By’, too, was a lovely addition and well-performed by Libby, the first to sing this previously lost aria as part of the show.

There were some clever modernisations and Island-inspired asides that boosted the comedy throughout: the addition of a pre-show ditty to remind the audience to put their phones on silent, delivered by Andrew Jenner, also worked really well. 

The ensemble gave an enthusiastic performance, particularly in the Act 1 Finale, ‘Now to the banquet we press’ in the ‘Tea-Cup Brindisi’ section. It’s always a treat to hear 4-part harmonies performed. The choreography by Debbie Small sympathetically factored in the available space and skill of the cast, and enhanced the performance, even at one point employing the use of a Maypole.

The production value of GASP shows are always high, with clever set designs and splendid costumes. The lighting amplified this further, adding to the magical appeal of the show, and it was great to see so many people still enjoying both performing and watching Gilbert and Sullivan’s works so many years after they were penned.