The Sorcerer

Lore & Background

The plot of The Sorcerer is based on a Christmas story, An Elixir of Love, that Gilbert wrote for The Graphic magazine in 1876. A young man, Alexis, is obsessed with the idea of love levelling all ranks and social distinctions. To promote his beliefs, he invites the proprietor of J. W. Wells & Co., Family Sorcerers, to brew a love potion. This causes everyone in the village to fall in love with the first person they see and results in the pairing of comically mismatched couples. In the end, Wells must sacrifice his life to break the spell.

In Their Own Story

The marsh fog rolled in thick as the last of the sun bled out behind the treeline. You'd tracked the violet glow for three hours—pulsing, rhythmic, like a heartbeat made of light. Then the clearing opened, and there he stood: a Sorcerer, robed in tatters that still clung to a thread of old elegance. His staff was cracked, his eyes were the flat white of a cataract, but the chains he'd already cast into the mud around you hummed with a patience that felt older than the game's own code.

He didn't speak. He didn't need to. The air above you split into three arcs of pale fire, and the ground beneath your boots turned to glass. You rolled. You always rolled. The Sorcerer tilted his head, almost curious, and the second volley was already forming at his lips like a held breath. You had four seconds. You always had four seconds. And you never had enough.

Reader's Guide

The opera opened on 17 November 1877 at the Opera Comique in London, where it ran for 178 performances. It was considered a success by the standards of that time and encouraged the collaborators to write their next opera, H.M.S. Pinafore. The Sorcerer was revised for an 1884 revival, and that version is usually performed today.

Did You Know?

• The Sorcerer was the first Savoy opera for which the author and composer had nearly total control over the production and the selection of cast.
• Several of the actors chosen went on to create principal roles in most of the later Gilbert and Sullivan operas.
• It was their first opera to use all the major character types and typical range of songs that would appear in their later collaborations.