Trial By Jury / The Sorcerer (1997)

Gilbert & Sullivan's
Trial By Jury &
The Sorcerer

Feb. 7, 8, 14 & 15, 1997 at 8pm
Feb. 9 & 16, 1997 at 2pm

Directed by Catherine Huntress-Reeve
Music Directed by Joseph Sorge and Jenny Craley Bland

Cast

Trial By Jury
The Learned Judge - Gordon Brigham
Counsel for the Plaintiff - Todd Allen Long
The Defendant - Benjamin Eye
Foreman of the Jury - Daniel Kim
Usher - Lyle Jaffe
The Plaintiff - Rose Ingberman
Bridesmaids -Dawn Crum, Denise Young

The Sorcerer
Sir Marmaduke Poindextre - Isaac Miller
Alexis Edwin Poindextre, his son - Benjamin Eye
Doctor Daly, Vicar of Ploverleigh - John Perine
Notary, a lawyer - Charlie Johnston
John Wellington Wells, of the firm of JW Wells & Co. - John Barclay Burns
Lady Annabelle Sangazure - Andrea Schewe
Aline, her daughter - Amy C. Lindsay
Constance, a pupil teacher - Ellen Myers
Mrs. Zorah Partlet, a pew opener - Mary Ann Mead

Chorus
The Butler and Housekeeper - Barry Grinnell and Virginia Garber
The Household Staff - Debbie Peetz, Maureen Roult
The Page - Sam Cooper
The Houseguests - Stephanie Brigham, Leta Hall, Doris Lin
The Reporters - Gina Nowacki, Rusty Suter
Men of Ploverleigh - Ronald Campbell, Dan Carlisle, Les Elkins, Tom
                             Fuchs, Tom Goode, John Grahor, Andrew Krulwich
Women of Ploverleigh - Fran Fleming, Donna Jaffe
Girls - Lynne Claflin, Mary Daum, Lisa Freese, Leigh Mann,
          Donna Saady
The Fiends - Dan Carlisle, Les Elkins, Lisa Freese, Tom Goode, Todd
                   Allen Long, Maureen Roult, Donna Saady, Denise Young

Orchestra

Violin - David Friedlander (Concertmaster), Allie Laban-Baker, Norman
Baker, Martin Brown, Carolyn Larson, Jon Teske, Catherine
Thompson (Principal Second), Chienmo Wu
Viola - Patrick Femiano, Amanda Laudwein
Cello - Charles Finney, Sheryl Friedlander, Thurston Griggs
Bass - Sue Lyon, David Ross
Oboe - Mary Ann Ruehling
Flute - Michelle Gustafson, Louise Hill
Clarinet - Richard L. Cohen, Eugene Sober
Bassoon - Brett Lewis
Trumpet - Victor Agresti, Bernard Rappaport
French Horn - Don Hunter, Don Swanson
Trombone - Michael Steadman, Earl Zastrow
Percussion - Ronald Carlson, George Huttlin

Production Staff

Producer - Lisa Freese
Director - Catherine Huntress-Reeve
Musical Director (Trial By Jury) - Jenny Craley Bland
Musical Director (The Sorcerer) - Joseph Sorge
Conductor - Webster Rogers
Artistic Director - Rosalie Santilhano
Stage Manager - Pamela Hodges
Assistant to the Director - Ira Haber
Set Design - Steve Thorpe, Dallas Young
Lighting Design - Ayun Fedorcha
Master Carpenter - Steve Thorpe
Costumers - Sherry Clarke, Lisa Freese, Virginia Garber, Susan
                    Hansen, Mary Ann Mead, Andrea Schewe, Denise Young
Technical Director (Rockville Civic Center) - Kim Haug
Technical Crew - Kim Arthur, Tony Dwyer, Gaye Freese, Julia Lukas
                            Gorman, Ira Haber, Kate Lawniczak, Mollie Toms
Orchestra Manager - Mary Ann Ruehling
Rehearsal Pianists - Jenny Bland, Kathy Detweiler, Judy Gardner
Make-Up - Malinda Lloyd, Rusty Suter
Tickets and Box Office - Patti Cooper, John Cooper, Merle Haber
Program - Les Elkins, Leta Hall
Publicity - Ira Haber
Set Construction/Painting - Les Elkins , Gaye Freese, Lisa Freese,
                Kerry Freese, David Kaysen, Todd Allen Long, Leigh Mann,
                John Perine, Judith Rubenstein, Steve Thorpe, Mollie Toms
Properties - Gaye Freese, Lisa Freese, Todd Allen Long
Videotaping - Falls Church Cable Television
Photography - Joel Hoffman
House Management - Caroline Hummel, Kent Woods
Engagement Party Cake - Creative Cakes, Inc.
Refreshments - The Wooden Shoe Pastry Shoppe
Costume Storage - Donna & Lyle Jaffe
Set Storage - Gordon & Stephanie Brigham, Rockville Civic Center
Printing - Quick Printing, Inc

Synopsis

Alexis Edwin Poindextre, tiring of his sweetheart, Angelina, falls in love with another; Angelina accordingly hails him into court for breach of promise. At the rise of the curtain the Usher, while enjoining impartiality on the Jurymen, shows a definite partiality himself for the fair Plaintiff. Edwin, arriving with his father and the family solicitor, explains that he simply happened to fall in love with another girl. Though both Jury and Judge indicate that they have similar episodes in their own past, they have little sympathy for him. After the jury is sworn in, Angelina appears and immediately captivates all the men present. Her lawyer gives a stirring speech, and she falls sobbing on his breast. Edwin proposes various solutions, but in vain. He offers to marry her if he may marry his other sweetheart later, but her lawyer objects. Edwin tries to dissuade her from wanting to marry him at all, saying that when he is drunk he would beat her. The Judge proposes that Edwin be made drunk to see whether he would, but her lawyer objects. Finally, the Judge, disgusted at the objections and eager to get away, marries Angelina himself.

Late, Alexis and Aline celebrate their betrothal with a banquet on the lawn of the family mansion, attended by friends, ladies from the society pages of the London papers, and people from the village of Ploverleigh, including Mrs. Partlet, a humble pew-opener, and her daughter, Constance, and the village Rector, Dr. Daly. The latter regards himself as a resigned bachelor and so Mrs. Partlet’s subtle hints on her daughter’s behalf fall on unreceptive ground. Aline arrives with her mother, Lady Sangazure, who had been a childhood sweetheart of Sir Marmaduke. Alexis is so happy at the prospect of his forthcoming marriage that he wants everyone to share in his good fortune, so he decides to consult a London firm of family sorcerers on the subject of love potions. The sorcerer, John Wellington Wells, arriving at the mansion, agrees to provide a suitable potion which has an effect only on unmarried people, and suggests that it could be easily administered to the guests in cups of tea. He casts the spell accompanied by the cries of invisible spirits; and later, unaware of the implications, Dr. Daly brews the tea and passes it out to the guests. The potion does not take long to work, and watched closely by Alexis, Aline, and Mr. Wells, everyone succumb to its effect and falls into a deep sleep.

Pleased with the progress of the plan, Alexis, Aline, and Mr. Wells eagerly await midnight when the potion will cause the sleepers to awaken and those who are unattached will then fall in love with the first person each sees. Midnight arrives and the unattached villagers pair off. Constance forgets about Dr. Daly when she meets and falls in love with the elderly, deaf Notary, and soon only Dr. Daly remains without a partner. Alexis insists that both he and Aline should now take the potion to assure their abiding love, but Aline angrily refuses and is hurt at his lack of faith in her love. An argument is prevented by the intervention of Dr. Daly who is perplexed that the whole village has suddenly decided to get married — even Sir Marmaduke has been smitten. Alexis, assuming the recipient of his father’s affections to be Lady Sangazure, resumes his composure, but loses it again with the arrival of his father arm-in-arm with Mrs. Partlet. Wells has also been experiencing discomfort — for Lady Sangazure, under the influence of the sorcerer’s magic, is desperate to find someone to love. Wells is the first person she encounters and the horrified sorcerer, having tried various excuses to deter her, resorts to the ploy of telling her that he is already engaged. Aline reconsiders Alexis’s pleas and takes the potion but she inadvertently bumps into Dr. Daly and falls in love with him. The furious Alexis, having lost Aline, confronts Wells and demands that the spell should be broken. There is only one way for this to happen — either Alexis or Wells must die. The obvious candidate is Wells since it is his spell that has caused all the problems. As he perishes the power of the potion is canceled, allowing the villagers to revert to their former loves. Aline returns to Alexis, Lady Sangazure gets Sir Marmaduke, Constance hooks Dr. Daly, and the Notary gets Mrs. Partlet.

Musical Selections

Trial By Jury

Hark the hour of ten is sounding (Usher, Chorus)
Is this the Court of the Exchequer? (Defendant, Chorus)
When first my old, old love I knew (Defendant, Usher, Chorus)
All Hail, great Judge! (Usher, Judge, Chorus)
When I, good friends, was called to the bar (Judge, Chorus)
Swear though the jury! (Counsel, Usher, Defendant, Judge, Jury)
Where is the Plaintiff? (Counsel, Usher, Bridesmaids, Plaintiff)
Oh, never, never, never (Judge, Foreman, Plaintiff, Usher, Jury, Chorus)
May it please you (Counsel, Plaintiff, Usher, Chorus)
That she is reeling is plain to me! (Judge, Foreman, Plaintiff, Counsel, Chorus)
Oh, Gentlemen, listen, I pray (Defendant, Women’s Chorus)
That seems a reasonable proposition (Judge, Counsel, Jury, Usher, Chorus)
A nice dilemma (Ensemble)
I love him (Aline, Alexis, Ensemble)
Oh, joy unbounded (Ensemble)

The Sorcerer
Act I

Ring Forth Ye Bells (Chorus)
Why this strange depression (Mrs. Partlet, Constance)
When he is here (Constance)
The air is charged – Time was when love and I (Dr. Daly)
May fortune bless you (Sir Marmaduke, Dr . Daly, Alexis)

With heart and with voice (Women’s Chorus)

My kindly friends – Oh, happy young heart (Aline)
My child I join you (Lady Sangazure)
With heart and with voice (Men’s chorus)
O my adored one (Alexis, Aline)
Welcome joy (Sir Marmaduke, Lady Sangazure)
All is prepared (Aline, Alexis, Notary, Chorus)
Love feeds on many kinds of food (Alexis)
My name is John Wellington Wells - Mr. Wells
Incantation (Aline, Alexis, Wells, Chorus)
Now to the banquet we press (Ensemble)

Act II