On Monday 17 June, children at Saxton CE Primary School were transported back to Victorian times, as they participated in a special performance of an extract from Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Sorcerer. The opera, which was the first full length work by the pair, is being performed by York Opera here at YTR from 03-06 July. Cast members Ian Thomson-Smith and Lydia Campbell, a teacher at the school, worked with two classes of children to prepare a section of the Act 1 finale, in which Sir Marmaduke Pointdextre invites the local villagers to a celebration of his son’s engagement, unaware that the tea that they are drinking has had a magic potion added to it by the sorcerer, John Wellington Wells.
The pupils did an amazing job of mastering the music, dance steps and acting required for the scene over the course of an afternoon, and were able to perform the extract to an appreciative audience of parents at the end of the school day.
“I was really impressed how well the children did,” said York Opera chairman, Ian Thomson-Smith, who plays Sir Marmaduke in The Sorcerer. “For many of them it will have been their first taste of opera, and this comic story is an ideal introduction. The Sorcerer is an underrated gem, and I hope lots of children and their families will be encouraged to come and see it.”
03-06 Jul. Get your tickets for The Sorcerer now.
