The Sorcerer’s Apprentice at HOME

There’s nothing quite like a bit of magical mayhem to liven up the Christmas theatre calendar. And this festive season, Manchester’s HOME brings a familiar tale of spells, sorcery and troublesome broomsticks to the stage with The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, a new British musical for the whole family.

Most of us will remember Mickey Mouse struggling to control an army of enchanted broomsticks in Disney’s Fantasia. But The Sorcerer’s Apprentice goes back much further, to a poem written by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe in 1797. It’s a cautionary tale about a young apprentice who gets rather carried away with his magical powers. As you might expect, things don’t go to plan.

This new retelling places a young female apprentice at the centre of the story. Set beneath the Northern Lights in the fictional Scandinavian town of Midgard, the musical follows Eva as she discovers what she’s capable of. Unfortunately, she finds she has more to contend with than just mastering a few spells.

The pursuit of progress and prosperity has pushed Midgard to the brink of collapse. With the town’s future at stake, Eva and her father, a powerful sorcerer, must put aside their differences and learn to work together. As Eva’s powers develop, the pair must find a way to combine their abilities, despite their different approaches to magic.

So alongside the magic and inevitable mishaps, there’s a story about family, responsibility and our relationship with the natural world. And at the heart of it is a father and daughter learning to work together, despite their differences.

Written by Richard Hough, with music by award-winning composer Alexander S. Bermange, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice has been in development for more than a decade. A digital version appeared in 2021, when theatres were exploring new ways to reach audiences during the pandemic. Now it receives its first fully staged production in Manchester, with additional material, an expanded score and a cast of ten.

Kirk Jameson, who directed Song From Far Away at HOME, takes the helm. Imogen Craig plays Eva, joined by Emma Salvo, whose credits include Come From Away, and Olivier Award nominee Sophie-Louise Dann, who has appeared in Wicked.

There’s plenty to look forward to on stage too. With original songs, choreography and a magic consultant on the creative team, audiences can expect an inventive mix of music, storytelling and theatrical magic.

For families looking beyond the usual pantomime, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice offers a different kind of Christmas outing. There are spells, humour and adventure, but also a father and daughter learning that neither has all the answers.