THERE are echoes of A Midsummer Night’s Dream to Gilbert & Sullivan’s The Sorcerer, the current production from Hereford Gilbert & Sullivan Society at The Courtyard.

Love is in the air when young Alexis (played by tenor Russell Painter) feeds a love potion to everyone in his village so that they can share the bliss he enjoys with his fiancee Aline, but of course it all goes wrong when inappropriate pairings result. And then goes even further wrong when he persuades Aline to drink the potion, too, declaring that a refusal on her part demonstrates a lack of love for him ... and she promptly falls desperately for the vicar.

Directed again by Alistair Donkin, formerly of the D’Oyly Carte Company, who led the society in their award-winning production of The Mikado last year, the talented cast brought plenty of energy and enthusiasm to this engaging story of love and magic, and proved particularly strong in the ensemble numbers.

Musical director Alan Durman also appeared on stage playing Dr Wells, the patter man of The Sorcerer, with panache and a fetching pair of red gloves, while Russell Painter played Alexis to great comic effect and Laura Durman gave Aline a nice 20th century edge to offset her essential sweetness.