West Michigan Savoyards Presents Gilbert & Sullivan's THE SORCERER, Now thru 5/3

"Oh! My name is John Wellington Wells, I'm a dealer in magic and spells, in blessings and curses and ever-filled purses, in prophecies, witches, and knells. And if any one anything lacks, he'll find it all ready in stacks, if he'll only look in on the resident Djinn, number seventy, Simmery Axe!" (My Name is John Wellington Wells)

Cupid could never perform more rascally pranks than the sorcerer's love potion in the quaint English village of Ploverleigh. The whole town is bustling with excitement as Alexis, son the great Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre, has declared his engagement to Aline, the only daughter of Lady Sangazure.

While preparations are made for the betrothal ceremony, Sir Marmaduke and Lady Sangazure pine for one another, their love tragically hidden behind years of upper-class propriety, and the young Constance Partlet unrequitedly yearns for the love of the village curate.

When the young lovers are finally left alone, Alexis informs Aline that, so the whole village may share in the rapture of true love, regardless of station or rank, he has invited a Sorcerer from London to attend the party, and to slip a love potion to the unexpecting town. Though Aline protests, the Sorcerer arrives, and at the engagement party, slips his potion into the teapot. After drinking, all fall into a deep sleep, and upon waking, fall in love with the first person they see.

Old and young, rich and poor, all pair off in mismatched couplings and demand to be married immediately, and thus begins the topsy-turvy world of The Sorcerer!

In a review of the original 1877 production of The Sorcerer, the obviously humorless H. F. Frost said, "If the reader has had patience to follow these remarks thus far, he will probably be disposed to ask whether it be meet that the English opera of the future should be founded upon such a farrago of nonsense as this." Nonsense it is, but such is the nature of love!

The fourteen musical comedies that emerged from the creative partnership of Gilbert & Sullivan bring to the stage timeless music and humor which influences musical theatre and social satire to this date. While their best-known works include the likes of H.M.S. Pinafore and The Pirates of Penzance, The Sorcerer was their first two-act operetta combining the musical patterns that became their trademark, including a soprano showpiece, a comic duet, a patter song, a tenor-soprano love duet, and so on.

Family-friendly and funny, The Sorcerer is a "farrago of nonsense" that will delight audiences of all ages.

Libretto by William Gilbert; music by Arthur Sullivan; Directed by Molly Porter, Music and Choral Direction by Tim Oonk, Choreography by Kate Howerton; The Sorcerer will be taking place tonight, April 30 at 7:30pm, May 1 at 1:00pm and 8:00pm, May 2 at 8pm, and May 3 at 2:30pm at Wealthy Theatre, 1130 Wealthy Street SE, Grand Rapids, MI. Tickets are $18 for adults, $15 for seniors and $9 for students. All tickets for the Friday matinee performance are $9. For tickets, visit westmichigansavoyards.org/tickets/ or call the Wealthy Theatre box office at (616)459-4788 x131. For more information, visit westmichigansavoyards.org.

WITH: Molly Alman (Lady Sangazure), Rene Baatenburg (Chorus), Emma Bouman (Chorus), Anna Cormier (Aline), Guy Cormier II (Hercules), Beth Dargis (Chorus), Jim DeVries (Chorus/Chorus Coach), Michael Dodge (JW Wells) Patrick Fuller (Alexis), Kate Howerton (Chorus), Danny Jones (Dr. Daly), Mike Koster (Chorus), Jane Krol (Chorus), Steve Marouchoc (Chorus), Cindy Matthews (Chorus), Melissa Metivier (Chorus), Avery Mills (Constance), Gerrit Nieuwenhuis (Chorus), Kevin O'Neil (Notary), Bob Oom (Chorus), William Porter (Sir Marmaduke), Cassandra Sandros (Mrs. Partlet), Carol Schachermeyer (Chorus), Kathy Vandenberg (Chorus), Clark Wells (Chorus), and Christy Wentzloff (Chorus)

In conjunction with The Sorcerer WMS will hold its third annual scholarship program. The scholarship is available to all Grand Rapids-area high school juniors and seniors. The goal is to expose high school students to Gilbert & Sullivan, the arts, the social/political issues of Victorian England, and how those issues relate to society today. Applicants are encouraged to attend this year's performance and write a short essay on the show. At least one $1,000 scholarship will be awarded to an area high school student to attend the college of their choice. Details of the scholarship program are provided on the WMS website at westmichigansavoyards.org.