Opera Plots I - MDC Faculty Home Pages

considerations of rank, wealth or age, he has ordered Mr J. W. Wells, of the famous firm of J. W.
Wells & Co., family sorcerers, to bring down a good supply of their Special Love-potion, which is
guaranteed to cause any person who partakes of it to immediately fall in love with the next passerby
of the opposite sex. Wells presently appears, and, after a comical description of his wonderful
wizard powers, he proceeds to administer the potion to all the company in cups of tea, which he
hands round, and the guests, one by one, come under the magic spell and fall asleep . In Act 2 they
awaken from the strange trance; and immediately the potion begins to work, and most amusing
scenes follow, as incongruous couples get together. Sir Marmaduke, beholding old Mrs Partlet, the
pew-opener, falls in love with her and announces his intention to marry her; Aline and Dr Daly
walk off as sweethearts; Constance and the old notary rush into each others arms; and Lady
Sangazure swears eternal love to the embarrassed sorcerer, who is astounded at the potency of his
drug, and at the same time dismayed at the havoc he has wrought amongst the peaceful guests.
Finally Alexis, furious at the defection of his betrothed, and realising the failure of his theory,
commands the sorcerer to undo the mischief he has caused; and Wells explains that this can only
be achieyed by sacrificing someone to Ahrimanes as a peace-offering. It is unanimously decided
that he shall himself be the victim, and the sorcerer therefore vanishes into the ground amidst red
fire. At the same time the various couples return to the rightful objects of their affection, and the
operetta ends with the wedding revels of Aline and Alexis.
165. UTOPIA, LIMITED; OR, "THE FLOWERS OF
PROGRESS."
Comic Opera in Two Acts By Sir Arthur Seymour Sullivan
Libretto By Sir W. S. Gilbert
First Produced London, October, 1893
Chief Characters Princess Zara, The Twin Princesses Nekaya and Kalyba, Lady Sophy, King
Paramount, Scaphio and Phantis, Tarara, Captain Fitzbattleaxe, Lord Dramaleigh, Capt. Sir
Edward Corcoran, K.C.B., Mr Goldbury, Sir Bailey Barre, Q.C., M.P., Mr Blushington
THE scene opens in the tropical palace gardens of King Paramount of Utopia, an absurd King,
who is supposed to be an autocratic tyrant, but is actually ruled with a rod of iron by his two Wise
Men, Phantis and Scaphio, whose will he is forced to obey on pain of being blown up with
dynamite by the Public Exploder, Tarara, who, in such a case, would succeed him on the throne.
The King has been seized with a frantic desire to model his kingdom on the plan of England, and
he encourages everything English. His eldest daughter, Princess Zara, is just expected to return
home from England, where she has been to school, with a view to becoming as English as
possible. The two younger twin Princesses, Nekaya and Kalyba, are being educated by an English
governess, Lady Sophy, who is very prim and proper, and has taught the girls to be likewise. King
Paramount admires Lady Sophy, and desires to marry her; but the Governess is so terribly shocked
at reading in the Palace Peeper of the improper doings of her royal admirer that she will not
encourage his advances. The King himself is the author of these scurrilous " pars," which he is
compelled to write by his two Wise Men, in order to keep up his reputation as a supposed tyrant
and evil-living monarch; but he does not dare to inform the scandalised Governess of this fact for
fear of being instantly blown up with dynamite - the regulation fate of autocratic tyrants.