The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a new musical by Richard Hough and Ben Morales Frost. It tells of a Sorcerer and his daughter, Eva who has inherited his talent for magic. It is set in Midguard, a small town that lies beneath the northern lights. When the lights are threatened by industry it is up to Eva and her dad to save the town.

The story line of the show was a family friendly one that not only gave you a warm fuzzy feeling but also had underlying theme of looking after the environment and our earth. I loved how the apprentice had been adapted from the original source material to make it a girl. Father and daughter Johan and Eva had well developed characters whose relationship held the plot together and the supporting characters were well balanced between funny caricatures and those with heart. At time the plot felt a little drawn out however some of the bigger moments such as when Eva learns more about her past felt rushed and the gravitas of the moment wasn’t given an opportunity to sink in.

The aesthetic of the show was the strongest part of the show. The set was creative with Eva’s bedroom set above the main playing area, this combined with lots of element of magic, creative lighting for the Northern Lights and puppetry helped make The Sorcerer’s Apprentice different to many other musicals out there.

Due to the magical elements of the show and the warm fuzzy feeling from the story I was disappointed with some of the lyrics to the songs, at times they were contrived and didn’t create much depth beyond what the performer was singing.

The cast was well balanced with new faces such as Mary Moore who played Eva and some well known ones such as Olivier award winner David Thaxton as Johan. Thaxton shows just why he has played so many iconic roles with his voice sounding warm and stunning. Mary Moore sometimes could tone down some the excitement and whilst I loved the energy it sometimes got a bit screechy. Marc Pickering was the enemy of the piece playing Fabien Lyddeker. This was a comedy role which he played with relish and he struck the balance of comedy gold without overshadowing the story.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is a British Musical with lots of potential with a magical feeling. If that magic could focus the plot and work on some of the lyrics then there is the potential for a special show.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice is running until 14th March and tickets can be found on their website. Tickets are £15 + a £3 transaction fee.

If you like this review you might also like my review for Public Domain which was also filmed at Southwark Playhouse. You could also check out my reviews of the Secret Society of Leading Ladies and West End Musical Drive In.