Peterborough Morris

Plays Gilbert and Sullivan

Audiences attending October's Key Theatre production of The Sorcerer by Peterborough Gilbert and Sullivan Players were surprised to find real morris men performing as the Ploverleigh Morris Men. 'Quite a surprise' said one theatre-goer. 'It made the evening' said another.

The Sorcerer, WS Gilbert's second work set to music by Arthur Sullivan, is set in the small Dorset village of Ploverleigh where a society marriage is about to be celebrated. The whole village turns out to join the celebrations, which go somewhat awry when all those attending the wedding tea party unwittingly imbibe a love potion. Reminiscent of the misalliances within Shakespeare's 'A Midsummer Night's Dream', love blossoms across the social divide until all is safely righted at the end.

Written around 1880, the appearance of morris men early in the second Act of The Sorcerer is something of a surprise and it is clear from the score that Sullivan was not working from an original dance tune. Hence the appeal by Director, Pauline Iredale, to Peterborough Morris to provide a more realistic morris performance to suit the context of the story. Consequently, Bampton 'Pram Pushing' to the tune 'Getting Upstairs greeted the villagers as they awoke on the village green after a night under the stars, in each other's arms.

Keen also to open the production with a flourish, Pauline asked for a suitably impressive opening number. Accordingly, as the curtains parted following the overture, 'Lads a'Buncham' from Adderbury with its song 'Oh dear Mother, what a fool I've been!' was the perfect ironic preface to the evening's story. It also served as a jolt to the audience and an energising inspiration to the cast. As Pauline herself said 'having dancing by real morris men has made all the difference to our show!'

Ten dancers and two musicians covered the seven performances: nightly Monday to Friday, with two shows on Saturday. Planning to ring the changes of personnel in a team of six, we attended several practices and a full rehearsal. However, you can imagine the disconcerting effect when all ten of us turned up for the dress rehearsal and all ten danced 'Lads' at curtain-up.

It is not known if WS Gilbert had any first hand knowledge of the morris. There is no evidence that he or Sullivan knew ought of what they were seeking to present on stage. However, perhaps Cecil Sharp really was predated in his discovery of the morris, by Messrs Gilbert and Sullivan. Maybe we have here the possibility of a small research thesis.

Mike Stevens, Squire