AN OLDHAM amateur dramatic society has changed the name of a Gilbert and Sullivan show that has brought magic to audiences for more than 130 years – because it feared it might offend churchgoers.

Hope Congregational Entertainment Society has dropped the title ‘The Sorcerer’ for its four-night run at the Elim Foursquare Church, in Greenacres Road, this week.

A spokesman said: "We lost our venue some years ago and the host church (Elim) has been very community spirited in letting us use their building.

"As a sign of respect, we decided to change the name of the show ourselves as we thought it might look awkward on publicity and create embarrassment. It was a decision we made ourselves."

As such, it is promoting the operetta under the title ‘John Wellington Wells’ – after the main character – although no other content has been changed.

The show first opened in 1877 and the farcical plot sees John Wells secretly administer a love potion to a village, causing unattached residents to fall madly in love with the first person of the opposite sex they see who has also drunk it.

The decision to change the name by the group affectionately known as ‘Hope Congos’ – which has around 50 regulars – has bemused the theatrical community and raised topical questions about over-sensitivity.

Neal Smith, spokesman for the Gilbert and Sullivan Festival Society, said he did not think the title had ever been changed before.

"If you’ve seen ‘The Sorcerer’ you’d know it’s just a bit of G&S nonsense – a harmless piece of fun like many of their operettas," he said. "We’ve had societies performing from across the world and never heard of anything like this. I would imagine the group might also have problems performing ‘The Wizard of Oz’."

Jean Dufty, secretary of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society (Manchester branch), said: "I’m a churchgoing person but I don’t see why this is necessary. At the end of the day it’s just a bit of fun for children and I think this is going a bit too far.

"Harry Potter is magic too, but it’s harmless fun.

"As Christians we don’t believe in magic, but in ‘Iolanthe’, for example, there are fairies flying around. It’s all just make-believe; it’s not real – it’s what theatre is.

"If you see someone playing the Prince of Darkness, you’ve got to remember they’re not actually him. They are Mr Joe Bloggs who works at a bank."

Judith Barker, the vastly-experienced Oldham actress who runs local ‘fame academy’ Jude’s Drama, said: "This seems a bit daft to me. It’d never have occurred to me the title might be a problem. Hope have a good reputation and I hope the unfamiliar title doesn’t deter people from attending."

Wilfred Achumba, the minister of Elim Foursquare Church, said the decision to change the title had been made by the amateur group.

"This isn’t our play – it belongs to the people running the show," he said. "They’re just using our venue so it’s nothing to do with us."